Greece Expects More Tourists from India in Near Future

The number of tourists to Greece from India grew by 30 percent in 2019 compared to the year before and Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis is optimistic that “the increase will be even greater in the near future”.

The minister, who is currently in India attending the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2020 trade fair, made important contacts in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday aiming to strengthen Greece’s tourism relations with the country, which is among the largest upcoming markets.

On the sidelines of the OTM 2020, Minister Theoharis met with India’s minister for tourism and culture, Prandlad Singh Patel and discussed the launch of direct flights between Greece and India and signing a Memorandum of Understanding on investment and tourism.

During a press conference, the Greek tourism minister said that the ministry was drawing up a new strategic plan that will focus on specific tourism forms in order to attract more tourists from India.

“We believe that luxury tourism, conference tourism and wedding tourism are the main areas that Greece has a lot to offer to the visitor from India,” the minister said.

In a meeting with a representative of India’s Chamber of Commerce, issues discussed included Greece’s tourism investment opportunities with Minister Theoharis underlining the importance of Greece’s Golden Visa scheme.

Speaking to the press, the minister said that India is a target market for Greece as it can bring tourists of high quality to the country.

“It is a fact that the average spending of the Indian tourist visiting our country is some 1,000 euros, while our general average is around 560 euros. So it is clear to us that the tourist from India visiting Greece is a quality tourist,” he said.

The minister’s visit to India will conclude on Wednesday with meetings with leading travel agents, government officials and representatives from the Bollywood film industry.