Tourism in Greece

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni showcased Greece's and the Ministry of Tourism's initiatives to advance the agenda of sustainable tourism development during an informal gathering of EU tourism ministers in Belgium on Tuesday. The central focus of the discussion revolved around ensuring the resilience of the tourism ecosystem.

The year has started with the best of prospects as regards arrivals from Ireland, after a strong increase (+33%) of air arrivals from Dublin in the first nine months of 2023, versus the same period in 2022.

The islands of Mykonos and Santorini, historically the flagships of Greek tourism, are now paying the price for their overexploitation, without the upgrading of their key infrastructures, in order to manage the large number of visitors.

The Greek National Tourism Organization's (GNTO) campaign for the next tourism season is in full progress, with GNTO General Secretary Dimitris Fragakis meeting with Emirates executives, one of the largest airlines in the world.

The European Travel Commission's (ETC) annual Market Intelligence Group (MIG) and Marketing Group conference is to take place in Athens for the first time on February 7-9, following an initiative of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO). 

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni is to visit Istanbul on Monday. During her three-day stay, the minister will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, visit the new Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) offices and have contacts with businesspeople and tourism-sector organizations, such as the Turkey Travel Agencies Association (TURSAB).

Adapting to the modern needs of tourism and innovation are the main characteristics of the Tourism Ministry's planning, Minister Olga Kefalogianni said at the first meeting of the board of directors of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) for 2024.

The direct contribution of tourism to Greece's GDP is estimated to be close to 24 billion euros, or 11.5% in 2022, with five regions representing almost 90% of the country's receipts, three of which are purely tourist regions.

The tourism season's extension strategy is bearing fruit and "already from this year we have tangible results," Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) General-Secretary Dimitris Fragakis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Sunday.

He also noted that GNTO always had the extension of the season as a main pillar of its initiatives.

After a temporary dip in August, price increases at Athens hotels resumed in September, setting the average cost of accommodation for their guests in the first month of the fall almost 40% higher than the levels of 2019, the last year before the pandemic and a record year for Greek tourism.