Vicky Tryfona | Tornos News reporting from Rethymno
Tourism, sports, and… peace were at the heart of TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel’s visit to Rethymno, on the occasion of two international mini football events: the TUI SOCCA Champions League (October 17–20) and the SOCCA Aegean Cup (October 21–22). These events were held at the end of the tourist season, bringing to Rethymno 106 teams from 35 countries, over 2,000 participants, and a total of 14,000 overnight stays across 22 hotels.
In an exclusive interview with Tornos News, the TUI executive emphasized the need to leverage such events to extend the tourist season and transition towards a sustainable, 10-month tourism model.
“Crete offers excellent quality, and that’s why it has seen significant growth in recent years,” he said, noting that the island accounts for 30%–40% of all tourists TUI brings to Greece. “Greece has all the characteristics to shine in winter too. TUI is here to support this long-term growth,” he added.
Events as the “key” to extending the season
Mr. Ebel urged hoteliers and local authorities to create “unique products and events” that would give travelers a reason to visit Crete outside the summer season.
“When you want to extend the season, you have to give customers a reason to come. In winter, the weather is less stable, so you need occasions: sports events like Socca, cycling races, marathons, or cultural events like festivals and carnivals. Let’s create the winter events calendar together,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that TUI Musement, a platform with 7–10 million users, could serve as a core tool for promoting such activities—both to visitors already at the destination and to those planning future trips.
However, he also highlighted that air connectivity remains the biggest challenge for the development of winter tourism. “Flights are the most difficult issue. Government support is needed to launch new routes in the winter,” he stressed, adding that “the increase in fees on Greek tourism does not help” this effort.
New traveler profiles for winter
Regarding the new types of winter travelers, Mr. Ebel noted that demand is mainly coming from active tourists—such as cyclists and runners participating in events—as well as older visitors from Northern Europe seeking full services and milder weather, and grandparents traveling with their grandchildren.
“This is an important growing segment, and that’s why we encourage hotels to invest in kids’ clubs,” he said.
New markets and stability in traditional ones
The TUI CEO emphasized that Greece remains among the top five destinations for the Group, with over 3 million tourists, and Crete is at the heart of the strategy, with more than 1 million tourists. He described TUI’s relationship with Crete in two words: “long-term friendship.”
Although TUI’s core markets—Germany and the UK—are facing challenges due to economic pressure, the company is offsetting losses by growing in new markets such as Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Italy.
“Czechia is a major success story for us,” he said, noting that TUI is also expanding in Spain and Latin America as source markets, not just as destinations.
“Tourism brings peace”
During TUI’s visit to Crete, a dinner was held at Agrecofarm, owned by the Grecotel Group. There, Dimitris Kalaitzidakis, Operations Director of the Group, gave Sebastian Ebel and TUI executives a tour of the farm and showcased the hosted activities and products produced there. The dinner was attended by Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni and GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos.
In his remarks, Mr. Ebel went beyond the economic aspect and highlighted the deeper value of tourism.
“We’ve all seen what’s happening in Ukraine with the Russian invasion, or in Palestine. These are difficult situations, but I firmly believe that, beyond economic growth, tourism contributes to peace. When people travel and talk to each other, they don’t turn to weapons,” he said.
“Tourism has a very important role to play: to foster understanding and peace among peoples. This is the message I carry to every meeting with the EU or the German government. The value of tourism is greatly underestimated, and we must all fight for its recognition—not just for its economic impact, but also for its role in peace,” he added.
“Tourism and football are a perfect match”
His presence at the Socca event in Rethymno left a strong impression on the TUI CEO.
“The atmosphere was fantastic. The stadium was right by the sea, and that’s a magical combination. We saw families and children in the stands, amateur players from many countries on the field. It’s an amateur event, but organized to high standards. Tourism and football are a perfect match,” said Sebastian Ebel.
In closing, he didn’t rule out returning to the island for a holiday:
“If I manage to find some free time—definitely. October and November are wonderful in Crete.”
