Greece Plans to Extend Winter Tourism Period

With the hope to entice Northern Europeans to the country, under certain conditions Greece is planning to extend the tourist season beyond October to November and try to cover the rest of the winter months.

This has to be the best tourism season Greece has experienced so far. They are currently on track to attract over 33 million tourists, since they have already surpassed the pre-pandemic levels. To achieve this new goal, the government is extending the tourist season.

Last week, during the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced this initiative by stating, “In order to extend the tourism season into the winter we will approve additional support”. He also added that to make sure Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) with joint advertising with airlines and tour operators can properly promote Greece until March 2023, funds will be allocated.

He further added, highlighting the “highly successful summer tourist season“ that through domestic tourism, the government is planning to provide additional incentives to extend the tourist season. With the announcement of the “Tourism for All” program” which will offer subsidized vacations to the people of Greek. This expansion will guarantee to add over 200,000 new vacationers.

Next week, Vassilis Kikilias, the Tourism Minister is also planning to visit Sweden and France to promote winter vacations in Greece, after his trip to Germany and Austria this week.

According to Kikilias, Greece has a mild winter compared to other countries, so Northern and central Europeans can enjoy their vacations here without breaking the bank or spending a lot of energy.

He has stated that maintaining all existing flight schedules from Northern and Central Europe to Greece is their ultimate goal, which is already higher compared to the same time in 2019. However, they are planning to improve it further during the time between November and March.

In cooperation with Athens International Airport and Fraport-Greece, a wide-ranging co-promotion program for travelling to Greece during the winter will be financed through this initiative.

Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Athens, Thessaloniki, and some other Greek destinations will be heavily promoted through this initiative. Along with that, the availability of a minimum number of hotel beds will also be ensured by the Ministry of Tourism.