Olga Kefalogianni | Positive messages for Greek tourism from ITB Berlin 2025

Optimism and a dynamic outlook characterize 2025 for Greek tourism, as Greece confirms its position as a leading travel destination worldwide. The indications from the major tourism exhibition, ITB Berlin 2025, and the important meetings of the Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni with international industry bodies demonstrate that Greek tourism has the necessary tools to cope with international challenges while promoting sustainability, extending the tourist season, and creating new destinations.

The Minister of Tourism, during her visit to Berlin, met successively with leading representatives of the tourism industry, including high-ranking executives of TUI, Lufthansa, Jet2 holidays, AIDA Cruises, and DER Touristik. In the context of these contacts, she presented the country's strategy for sustainable tourism development, receiving positive messages about the dynamics of the Greek tourism product.

Strategic Partnerships & Network Expansions

During the exhibition, the Minister of Tourism met with the representative of TUI, Mr. Tomas Ellerbeck, who informed her that Greece is 2nd after Spain in bookings and 5th top destination worldwide among its customers, while he also referred to its new partnerships with destinations in Greece.

In the meeting with Dr. Kay Lindemann, representative of Lufthansa, the Minister assured that the new Heraklion airport will be delivered in 2027 while highlighting Crete as a year-round destination. The strengthening of direct flights between Frankfurt - Kefalonia and Zakynthos was also discussed, facilitating the attraction of travelers from high-priority markets, such as the USA.

The CEO of Jet2Holidays, Mr. Steve Heapy, expressed the company's intention to strengthen its presence in Greece, requesting an immediate meeting in Athens to sign a relevant agreement.

At the meeting with the representatives of DER Touristik, with its President Felix Eichhorn and his associates present, it was announced that the company is investing dynamically in the Greek market, noting a double-digit increase in bookings in recent years, while they informed the Minister about the organization of its annual conference in Rhodes.

Furthermore, in the meeting with AIDA Cruises, in which the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands, Mr. Ioannis Trepeklis, also participated, the further development of Corfu as a homeport was discussed, while strengthening collaborations at the local level.

The Minister of Tourism also spoke with the CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Ms. Julia Simpson, with the main topics of discussion being the strategic goals of the Ministry of Tourism for sustainability and expansion of the tourist season throughout the year. Ms. Kefalogianni referred to the great development that Greek tourism has achieved in terms of hotel infrastructure over the last decade or so. As she emphasized in particular, from 2012 to 2024, we had more than doubled the number of five-star hotels.

Greece has a reputation, prestige, maturity

After the completion of the meetings that the Minister of Tourism had, in her statements, she referred to the positive messages from Berlin, emphasizing that they confirm that Greece has a reputation, prestige, and maturity.

“Greece, as a mature and attractive destination, continues to strengthen its position in the international market, with a strategy that delivers and shapes strong prospects for the future. At the same time, we are faced with a plan and determination for the major challenges related to sustainability, the extension of the tourist season, and the emergence of new destinations.

Our goal is balanced development, which will enhance the quality of Greek tourism and create value for local communities and the national economy.”

The Greek presence at ITB Berlin 2025, with a dynamic pavilion, hosted both the Regions and tourism businesses, highlighting the country's multidimensional tourism identity, highlighting the diversification of the product and the priority given to sustainable development.

With international trends favoring destinations that invest in sustainability, authentic experiences, and high-quality services, Greece continues to strengthen its position in the international tourism market, shaping the future of Greek tourism with vision and strategy.

During her visit to Berlin and her contacts with tourism operators, the Minister of Tourism was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Hellenic National Tourism Organization, Andreas Fiorentinos.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report