Greece Expects Austrian Tourists to Continue Visiting This Winter Season
The Greek Minister of Tourism expects that since Austrians chose Greece as their vacation destination this summer, they will continue visiting the country in the winter as well.
He believes that such a thing is possible to happen as air connections from Austria to Greece have increased this year, with around 20 Greek destinations welcoming flights from the country, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Minister Kikilias, on an official visit to Austria, with his counterpart, Susanne Kraus Winkler, held meetings with the main players of the tourism market, who confirmed the popularity of Greece for Austrian travellers.
According to the Minister, arrivals from organized travel packages have increased this year by 15 per cent compared to 2019.
“It is indicative that Austrian arrivals to Crete are over 50 per cent and to Rhodes over 20 per cent compared to 2019, which was the record year… There is also high interest from the Austrian side to meet new Greek destinations,” Kikilias pointed out in this regard.
The Minister also emphasized that this year’s season was a success for Greece and now acts as a “strong magnet“, attracting the main actors of the Austrian market to invest in the tourism sector.
In this regard, during the meeting in Vienna, Kikilias and his Austrian counterpart, Susanne Kraus Winkler, signed an agreement to strengthen the cooperation of the two countries in the field of tourism.
The agreement reached is aimed at the issues that include the sustainable development of tourism and tourist education, while it also affects further cooperation in thematic forms of tourism, such as sports tourism, agritourism and welfare tourism, with the objectivity of extending the tourist season and attracting the Austrians in the fall.
Recently, the Minister of Tourism also announced that the northern pensioners would have an easier time coping with the winter in Greece while facing smaller financial burdens.
According to him, unlike other countries, Greece has a mild winter, thus, pensioners will not need to spend a lot of energy.
In addition, many other pensioners from Europe will also have the opportunity to save money, considering that the cost of living in Greece is much lower. At the same time, they will also be able to enjoy the beauties of Greece.
As the Minister explains, all possible contacts and agreements have been made to realize this plan. As a result, hotels and shops with health interests will remain open during the coming months to serve Northern Europeans during their stay in Greece.
