Indian tourist arrivals to Greece doubles in January-September

Indian tourist arrivals to Greece has more than doubled to 38,046 in the first nine months of the current calender year.

Around 17,376 Indian tourists visited Greece in the same period of 2017, according to a data by Greece National Tourist Office (GNTO) and Athens International Airport.

"Greece as a destination has gained momentum over the years and we are glad to witness the rising interest of Indians for Greece as a popular holiday destination across the country. Our approach is to target the captive audience across various age groups simply by appealing to every kind of travel need," said Konstantinos Tsegas, secretary general, GNTO.

He said, GNTO has leveraged diverse platforms based on specific characteristics of the Indian market.

The strategy, according to Tsegas, is to also promote 365-day tourism in Greece and create awareness about lesser known cities of Thessaloniki, Xanthi and Kavala, which have great geophysical, historical and cultural importance, along with Athens.

"We are closely working with our partners in India for growth across segments like families, FITS (first time travellers segment), MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events), destination weddings, honeymoon and films," he said.

Greece had registered an overall 15.5 million tourist arrivals in 2017 and 14.6 million in 2016, of which 9.7 per cent travellers were from India each year, he added.