The Region of Crete, as part of the island’s targeted tourism promotion activities and in collaboration with the Greek National Tourist Board Office of the United Kingdom & Ireland, hosted at the end of October 2025, in the Lassithi Regional Unit, 35 associates of Co-op Travel – a member of the largest travel cooperative organization in the United Kingdom, The Midcounties Co-operative.
This action is part of the annual familiarization travel program of leading Personal Travel Agents operating in Great Britain. These professionals manage annual holiday sales to Greece of more than £7.7 million, of which 21% concerns Crete, which highlights the potential of the British market for the island.
During their visit, the guests had the opportunity to get to know the area of ??Agios Nikolaos, to participate in a cooking class in Kavousi, one of the most authentic experiences the area offers, and to get to know the gastronomic tradition of Crete. In collaboration with the Municipality of Ierapetra and the President of Kavousi, Yannis Psillos, the visitors were guided by Leonidas Koudoumogiannakis, a folklorist, to the ancient olive tree and the village, enjoying a complete experience of authentic Cretan hospitality.
The purpose of the visit was to directly contact the participants with the destination, in order to enhance the visibility and promotion of the tourism product of Crete in the British market. This specific action is expected to bring multiplier benefits for the island, as the reciprocal benefits include, among others, the sending of an informative email dedicated to Crete to 80,000 Co-op Travel customers, posts about Crete on their social media, which will be automatically promoted by all Personal Travel Agents and an online training session on Crete, which was held with a presentation of the destination by the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Dr. Kyriakos Kotsoglou, which will be available on demand for continuous use by partners.
The Deputy Regional Governor of Lassithi, Yannis Androulakis, said: “The visit of Co-op Travel’s leading partners to Lassithi confirms the growing interest of the British market in Crete and highlights the potential of our place as a quality destination. Direct contact with the destination and its people creates bonds of trust and contributes substantially to the promotion of the Cretan tourism product. The Region of Crete continues to consistently invest in actions that enhance the extroversion and international appeal of our island.”
The Tourism Advisor of the Regional Administration of Lassithi, Michalis Klontzas, emphasized: “Our hospitality is one of the greatest “weapons” that our Crete has and we generously offer it to all those who will visit our island. For this particular group of Personal Travel Agents, who in turn enhance the tourism of our Crete, by sharing their personal experiences, we managed, with the help of all those involved, to return to their homeland with a huge smile on their faces. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the efforts they make to promote our island. We, in turn, promise them as the Region of Crete and as the Cretan people, that their customers will also return to their homeland with a huge smile.”
