of Vicky Kourlibini
The Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias set three main priorities for this year: the extension of the season, the promotion of all destinations and not only the well-known vacation options, but also the support of the average Greek family.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, he confirmed the very positive messages for tourism, noting that the effort will continue with constant contacts abroad to attract not only more tourists, but also visitors with a higher income level.
According to the Minister of Tourism, the “fund” will be made at the end of the year, when asked about the revenue and arrivals bar and whether it will be possible to approach the performance of 2019. However, the picture so far is very good.
He said that big airlines are filling their offered seats for Greece, that Delta is considering maintaining routes in the winter and Emirates is discussing the connection with Thessaloniki.
Indicative of the high traffic is that airlines request slots at Greek airports at hours that have not been observed in the past (eg at dawn).
At the same time high occupancy is recorded in destinations that do not belong to the so-called “popular”. In a week also, as he added, the “sea sun and sand” campaign comes out.
According to Mr. Kikilias, the cruise is on the rise, both in cruise ship approaches and in the home port. The ports of Thessaloniki and Crete are already experiencing a large increase in traffic.
The next target markets
As for the countries he will visit to boost tourism, the next stop will be Serbia, followed by Poland and Germany (Berlin in early June).
An important goal is the French tourists, so that they come to Greece and in the intermediate holidays, but also the visitors from Israel. Poland and Serbia estimate that the losses from Russia and Ukraine due to the war will be covered to some extent.
On whether we will reach the numbers of the record year of 2019, when we had over 30 million visitors and more than 18 billion euros in receipts, Mr. Kikilias explained that no comparisons can be made, and that the years are different. This year, he explained, we have a pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also its great energy impact.
Finally, as the Minister of Tourism underlined, actions are imminent that will concern the enrichment of the Greek tourist product. Emphasis will be placed on sports and spa tourism.
Source: Capital
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