Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias was the keynote speaker on Thursday evening at the annual Conference of the Association of German Tour Operators (DRV), organized in Costa Navarino, Messinia.

During the opening ceremony, Kikilias was awarded by the German organizers for the management of the pandemic while he was health minister, for the health protocols implemented by Greece, the sense of security the country inspired in its visitors, but also the exemplary way in which tourism professionals implemented the safety protocols.

Kikilias stated that the 2022 tourism season will start in mid-March and urged the Germans to discover new destinations on the mainland and islands of Greece which are little known among foreign visitors but offer an authentic tourism experience.

He clarified that Greece’s strategy is to be at the forefront of sustainable tourism and to become a model of sustainable tourism development.

Furthermore he stressed to German tourism professionals that the country is ready to capitalize on the positive climate of this tourist season and is already preparing the ground for Greece’s upward trend in 2022 in the largest tourist market in Europe.

In statements to the media, Kikilias underscored that the selection of Greece and the participation of more than 450 German tourism professionals “mark the hard work done in autumn and winter in order to reap the fruits next summer and to support the Greek economy.”

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.