Yiannis Paraschis (left), CEO of the Athens International Airport, and President of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), and Alexis Papachelas, Executive Editor of Kathimerini, discuss the dynamic of Greek tourism at Kathimerini’s ‘Reimagine Tourism’ summit in Athens, on 19 November 2025.
Kathimerini’s two-day Reimagine Tourism conference concluded on Wednesday with an in-depth discussion between Yiannis Paraschis, CEO of the Athens International Airport, and President of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), and Alexis Papachelas, Executive Editor of Kathimerini, who discussed the possibilities of further growth for tourism, and summarized what was heard at the numerous panels of experts, industry leaders and foreign dignitaries on Greece’s leading economic sector.
“Any masterplan [for tourism] must recognize a reality in our country: Right now, any construction is a potential tourist accommodation. In Greece we have one million beds in short-term rental and approximately one million beds in hotels,” he said at the last panel of the conference, titled “New era, new challenges.”
Discussing the issue of overtourism and the carrying capacity of top destinations such as the Cyclades, Paraschis called for an entity that will manage visitor flows and balance growth with the quality of life of residents. “What needs to be done at the local level is a destination management organization (DMO). Strong and decentralized bodies are needed that will cooperate with local government,” he said, adding that the state, private initiative and local communities will participate indirectly to make critical decisions on these issues.
Amsterdam is an example of an innovative DMO which started by promoting the destination and focused on problem solving, he said.
The head of SETE also noted a significant deficit in tourism studies in Greece, while singling out “a very good master’s degree” that was presented at the University of the Aegean on air transport a few days ago. “What is needed is a very good connection between the market and education in this area,” he said.
Turning their attention to the current state of Greek tourism, Paraschis said that arrivals and revenues are expected to break records this year. In 2024, together with the cruise industry, arrivals surpassed 40 million and revenues climbed to 21.5 billion euros. “This year, we will do better than that. The Bank of Greece is recording 4% more arrivals and around 10% more revenue […] The country took strategic decisions during the pandemic and that showed in numbers and the improvement of the brand,” he said, adding that the aim is to have quality tourism, not just higher numbers.
He noted how Athens has become a city break destination, but “we haven’t escaped the reality that five regions of the country” accounts to about 80% of arrivals. This will require public and private investments to change, and better infrastructure, he said, which is more difficult and complicated, because it involves several actors “who have an opinion,” such as the central state, local government, and the Council of State.
At the same time, Paraschis said that while Greece’s brand is strong, the sector must maintain the principle of value for money, as the deflation of the previous years which benefited the country is gone, and the euro is expensive.
Regarding trending markets, he said the US and Canada are very important, with high spending customers, while China “is not at the levels we would like it to be, while 2026 will be the year of India.” The head of SETE said there is strong competition in aviation from countries in the Middle East with Turkey “playing a very important role in the wider region.”
Paraschis acknowledged that flight delays at Athens International Airport “is a difficult equation” and that air navigation in Greece lags in infrastructure and staffing. Recently, agreements have been made to increase capacity, especially in Athens, and more air traffic controllers have been hired.
Asked whether Greece is too expensive for Greeks, Paraschis said there is a differentiation in prices depending on destinations, but noted that the discussion around affordable housing is serious, but tourism should not be demonized. “The notion that foreigners are responsible for the problems of society is an extremely xenophobic approach which leads to other dominos,” he told Papachelas.
The event was held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center’s Lighthouse.