London, Thanasis Gavos

THE Minister of Tourism Mr. Olga Kefalogianni visited the international tourism exhibition World Travel Market in London and held working meetings with important personalities from the field of politics, the tourism market and the media.

Mrs. Kefalogianni met with her British counterpart Mr. John Whittingdale (Minister of State Media & Data of the UK). During the meeting, they discussed the importance of the Great Britain tourist market for Greek Tourism and exchanged views on drawing up a cooperation framework for the future.

This was followed by a meeting with the heads of Jet2, who include many Greek tourist destinations in their 2024 plans.

Mrs. Kefalogianni attended the work of the Minister’s Summit, the meeting of all Ministers of Tourism, which takes place every year in the context of WTM.

Then, in the context of the regular meeting with the Greek correspondents in London, Ms. Kefalogianni emphasized that Greece is going through a great tourism year, with remarkable performances in all important fields – income, jobs, arrivals. The Minister of Tourism referred to the responsibilities generated by this successful course that began a decade ago for Greek tourism, as well as the fact that Greece is now ready for a new page in its tourism strategy. For a new cycle of development and mainly for the essential shift towards sustainability and the promotion of values ​​such as the protection of nature, respect for local communities and the human factor. Highlighting all these special values ​​will once again make Greece a protagonist in the international ranking of tourist destinations and experiences.

Among other things, the Minister of Tourism met with the head of the travel organization Queer Destinations, Mr. Edwar Weggelaar, emphasizing that the promotion of inclusion and equality policy with an emphasis on the LGBTQ community is part of the National Strategy to combat any kind of discrimination.

This was followed by a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Tourism of Cyprus Mr. Kostas Koumis. He also gave an interview to the internationally renowned American CNN journalist Mr. Richard Quest.

A substantive meeting was also held with the Board of ABTA, with which the Minister discussed the new trends in tourism demand.

Mrs. Kefalogianni gave an interview to the British media at WTM’s International Media Center, which had been transformed into a Greek island for the occasion.

During the press conference, a discussion was held with ABTA’s Head of Sustainability Ms. Carol Rose about sustainability, new trends in Tourism and the position of Greece in the international tourism market of sustainable destinations.