V. Kikilias: 30% -50% increase in available airline seats for 2022 compared to 2019

Travelers trust Greece as a safe destination, while the increase of available air seats for 2022 compared to 2019 reaches 30% -50%, stressed, in an interview with Alpha 989 radio station, the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias.

The Minister stated, among other things:

“After my visits and the agreements at the international tourism fairs in Paris and London and recently in Izmir, the airlines are increasing for 2022 their available seats to Greek destinations from 30% to 50% compared to 2019.

Also, the October bookings for the summer of 2022 were 30% higher compared to the October 2018 bookings for the summer of 2019.

Cruise shows a significant increase, especially in Northern Greece and Thessaloniki, which is a bet for us, where there is an over 200% increase from the major cruise companies.

All this fills us with responsibility and obligations, because we feel that summer this year will be spring. So, from March we must all be ready, with organized beaches, with high quality services provided in our hotels and accommodation. We also cooperate with the Trade Associations, as trade is directly related to tourism and the tourist areas have increased commercial activity.

Revenues for 2021 over 10 billion euros

The Ministry of Tourism is economic, development, it is a Ministry of job creation.

The first priority of a traveler to experience a travel experience was and is safety. And the way in which, in very difficult times, we handled the pandemic, enabled travelers to trust Greece as a safe destination, this to re-brand the country abroad and even in the fall to have tourists and much more revenue from them which were provided.

Specifically, the initial forecasts were 5-6 billion euros for 2021 and after the very good months we had after the summer, we exceed 10 billion and go for more. We will see when we calculate the last quarter of the year.

For the first time a campaign for the countryside and the winter in all the Regions of the country

For the first time, EOT is campaigning for the countryside, for all the Regions of the country, for the winter destinations. We owe it to these places, which have never been properly advertised abroad. To give the opportunity to the incomparably beautiful countryside that we have to become known to our visitors, to come to have an exceptional time and to leave their currency in the country “.