Greek Tourism Minister invites German pensioners to visit Greece during winter

Greece claims a share of the German market in winter, as well. The Greek Tourism Minister, Mr Vassilis Kikilias, invited German pensioners to visit Greece during the winter months, as he met today at the offices of the Ministry, in Crete, with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Greece, Dr Ernst Reichel.

After all, the German market is one of the leading tourism markets in our country. According to INSETE data, Greece received about 3 billion euros (16.7% of the total) from inbound tourism from Germany in 2019, the milestone year for Greek tourism, i.e. before the pandemic.

Greece as a safe place to travel

As the minister stressed, Greece has already won the bet of being a safe destination, because of the way it came up against the pandemic. In addition, travel package model in winter to countries with more temperate climates for wellness, health and other tourism types is something that is already being implemented in Portugal, Spain and France.

“We are getting organized”

“For this reason, we are organizing ourselves in the best possible way – by talking to major tour operators, major airlines, local government and the private sector – in order to provide the best possible services to our visitors. And of course – as we all know that our heavy industry is the tourism industry – to get the maximum possible revenue for the country, which in turn goes back to the average Greek family,” he added.

“Germans are showing great interest in Greece”

For his part, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Greece said that the Germans are showing great interest in Greece as a tourist destination, stressing that: “I discussed with the minister about the Greek government’s plans to extend the tourist season during which visitors and tourists, from Germany and all over the world, can visit this beautiful country and enjoy its lifestyle. I think that it is perfectly reasonable for Greece to extend its tourist season and I am sure that German tourists will prefer our country as a destination for their vacation.”