The Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, attended an event on “Mountain Greece, all year round” organized by the Ministry of Tourism in Heraklion.
Mrs. Kefalogianni noted that she feels proud of this campaign, “the first campaign that Greece is doing for mountain tourism, for mountain Greece”, noting that for years the country’s tourism model has been oriented towards “sun and sea”.
The Tourism Minister stressed that “Greece offers incredible experiences in its mountainous areas”, which can be combined “with gastronomy, with traditions, with cultural heritage”, offering “unique experiences all year round”. He noted that the aim of the campaign is “to promote the country’s mountain areas so that they can be visited 12 months of the year.”
Referring specifically to Crete, Olga Kefalogianni stressed that “it is an island that at the same time has incredible mountain destinations”, while she described as an impressive experience for visitors the fact that “one can ski on the mountain and at the same time see the sea”.
Mrs. Kefalogianni also pointed out that the campaign is aimed both at the domestic market, as “first of all we want to encourage Greeks to travel”, and abroad, with emphasis on “new markets such as China, India and Asian markets in general”, as well as traditional European countries such as France and Italy.
The Minister of Tourism also made special reference to the bet – as she said – on 12-month tourism, noting that “Crete can win it”, but making it clear that “campaigns alone are not enough” and that this requires the cooperation of all those involved.
At the same time, he stressed the importance of partnerships with airlines and tour operators “so that there are flights outside the main season”, but also the contribution of local communities, underlining that visitors “really want to see a living place, to enjoy the authentic experience of a place”.
As part of the event that started at noon on Sunday in the atrium of Loggia, there were experiential activities for the public, while the event closed with music by the music group Thanasis Mavrokosta and the dance group “Mavrokosta”.
