Kefalogianni: “South Korea is a key target market for Greece”

On the second day of her official visit to South Korea, Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni, accompanied by the President of the Greek National Tourism Organization (Angela Varela), held a series of high-level meetings with major stakeholders of the Korean tourism and aviation sector.

The Minister met with the Vice Presidents of Korean Air, Kwangho Ko and Seunghyeok Lee, as well as the airline’s Managing Director, Hoon Jun. Further discussions followed with the President of Hanjin Tour, Janghoon Lee, and Vice President, Minsoo Kim. Later, the delegation met with Byung-in Lim, Director of Lotte Tour for Europe and the Americas.

“The conditions are now ripe for stronger tourism flows”

Minister Kefalogianni emphasized that South Korea represents a strategic, premium market for Greek tourism. She highlighted:

• Greece’s impressive tourism growth trajectory,
• the consistently strong levels of tourism revenue,
• and the government’s new strategy for sustainable tourism development, designed to fully meet the needs of Korean travelers.

As she noted, “the conditions are now ripe for developing tourism flows between the two countries, provided that a direct air connection is established.”

The pivotal role of a direct Seoul–Athens connection

Korean counterparts expressed strong interest in Greece as a high-profile destination, pointing out that their agencies already design 10-day premium travel packages, in cooperation with Korean Air, through seasonal charter flights.

Executives from Korean Air underlined that the airline is increasingly focusing on the European market and will seriously examine the prospect of a direct Seoul–Athens route.

Commitment to targeted actions

Minister Kefalogianni reassured her interlocutors that both the Ministry of Tourism and the GNTO will actively support the effort with targeted initiatives aimed at boosting demand from South Korea. The ultimate goal, she stressed, is to create the right momentum for the long-anticipated direct air connection between the two nations.

This visit, analysts note, could mark a turning point in Greece–South Korea tourism relations, unlocking a new, high-value stream of visitors to Greece while strengthening the country’s footprint in Asia’s outbound travel market.

Source: pagenews.gr