A series of meetings with American companies and tourism market stakeholders in the U.S. was held in New York by the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, aiming to expand tourism cooperation between the two sides and further boost the number of American visitors to Greece.
The Minister highlighted the already impressive increase in preference for Greece by the American market in 2024. Specifically, 1,547,400 Americans chose Greece for vacations and business trips, generating revenues of 1.58 billion.
In 2025, during the nine-month period from January to September, arrivals from the U.S. increased by 5.6% compared to 2024, while revenues rose by 11.7% over the same period.
These results reflect the trend that two out of three Americans express high interest in traveling to Greece, but mainly the fact that, for the first time, there is a dense, direct air connection, totaling 103 weekly direct flights from the U.S. East Coast to Athens. For the first time, a direct connection was also inaugurated from the West Coast to Greece. It is noted that in 2026 a new direct flight from Dallas will also be launched.
Interview with Global Traveller
During her stay in New York, the Minister gave an interview to Global Traveller, an internationally recognized magazine and digital platform specializing in luxury tourism and business travel.
In the interview, she presented Greeces strategic priorities for sustainable development and strengthening competitiveness. She also highlighted the strong performance of Greek tourism and policies and initiatives for diversifying the tourism offer and promoting niche forms of tourism, as a basis for the qualitative and sustainable development of the Greek tourism product.
