Greece Reaches Agreement With Romania in a Bid to Lure More Romanian Tourists This Summer
According to a press release issued by the Greek Ministry of Tourism, Romanian travellers are most interested in alternative tourism, and a noticeable increase in places and destinations like Ionian, Evia, and Thasos islands being among most favourite picks, AtoZSerwisPlus.ro reports.
In addition, the Greek government has been working intensively on alternative tourism, which includes tourism throughout the whole year, not just the summer season, although that is Greece’s strongest suit.
“The Romanian market is very important to us. And for road tourism but also for the flights that now come from Bucharest, Cluj and other cities in Athens, Thessaloniki, to mainland destinations where there are airports and on our islands. I see a strong increase in both places and destinations,” Minister Kikilias said, also noting he is pleased that airlines and tour operators are investing in the country.
Furthermore, the Romanian Minister of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Rus Lucian Ioan, pointed out his country’s interest in all forms of tourism in Greece and cited religious tourism as one of the main reasons why Romanians remain loyal to the destination.
Religious tourism is an important attraction to Greece, as the country is home to several churches and monasteries, such as Saint John’s Monastery and the Church of Panagia, a popular spot for pilgrimage in Greece. Both Greece and Romania are predominantly Orthodox Christian, with 90 and 82 per cent of the population identifying with the religion.
“We also decided to do a roadshow in the Balkan countries, and not only, so that we can support these tourism markets. Romania is one such country. It is a country with strong relations and ties with Greece and Orthodoxy as well. That is, they come to our country for our religious tourism but also for our gastronomy, they like the mountains, mountaineering, hiking and they also like to come and rent small sailboats,” the Tourism Minister revealed.
This initiative from both parties is more than welcomed, provided the fact that Greece has witnessed concerning rates of Romanian travellers in 2020. Although the main reason for the decrease in Romanian tourists to Greece is linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the rates have plunged to the lowest levels in the last 15 years.
According to data from Statista, the number of Romanian travellers to Greece has dropped to 204,600 – the lowest rate recorded in the period between 2005 and 2020. More specifically, the number of Romanian tourists in 2020 was 85 per cent lower than the previous year, reaching merely 204,600 from 1.3 million recorded in 2019.
Such rates were lower by 18,400 tourists or eight per cent less than in 2011, when the lowest rates of Romanian visitors were recorded (223,000).
