Athens to Host French Conference ‘Force de Vente Tourisme’ by Selectour

Athens is getting ready to host some 200 travel agents from abroad at the 13^th tourism sales conference “Force de Vente Tourisme” of Selectour, a leading French network of independent travel agencies.

Held under the theme, “What has ancient Greece taught us in the area of commercial conquest?”, the conference will take place October 13-15 and will take place at the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel.

During the conference, Greece’s destinations, features and tourism offerings will be presented to tourism agents from France and other countries. Furthermore, the conference will explore the dynamics of Athens as a tourism destination through its 6,000-year long history.

Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Secretary General Konstantinos Tsegas will open the conference on Friday at 8:30 am.

Selectour has partnered with AEGEAN for the transfer of travel agents from seven different French cities to Athens. Yalos Tours is Selectour’s official partner in Greece.

Greece tops preferences of French holidaymakers

IFTM Top Resa 2017: (from right) Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura (right), Selectour Events Communication Manager Sophia Belkhir, Yalos Tours Owner Christos Panaretou and GNTO Secretary General Konstantinos Tsegas.

Tourism officials estimate that arrivals from France to Greece increased by 15 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, with the number of visitors reaching 2 million. Furthermore, the number of pre-bookings for next year is said to be up by 10 percent.

“Greece has become a favorite destination of French tourists and the signs appear very positive for the next tourism season,” Yalos Tours, Selectour’s official partner in Greece, said following its participation in the IFTM Top Resa international exhibition recently held in Paris. According to the travel agency, the interest of French travel  agencies remains strong, as more flights are being scheduled towards Greek airports for 2018.

Yalos Tours specializes in the French-speaking market and has collaborations with more than 2,500 travel agencies in France, Belgium and other French speaking countries.

Founded in 2013 from the merger of Reseau Selectour and Afat Voyages, Selectour’s network of partners counts 1,200 travel agencies in France and other countries. It offers more than 20,000 journeys to destinations around the globe and serves 2 million passengers on an annual basis.