GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos (left) and GNTO North America Head Konstantinos Charokopos (right) with Virtuoso’s senior manager, Miguelina Cespedes, and COO Brad Bourland. Photo source: GNTO
Greece is exploring new luxury tourism partnerships in the United States, with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) engaging with Virtuoso and other high-value stakeholders during a series of meetings in New York this week.
As part of this outreach, GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos is focusing his visit on strengthening Greece’s position in the premium US market by expanding ties with influential diaspora groups, luxury travel networks and leading American media, while presenting the key pillars of Greece’s tourism strategy for 2026.
A central component of the mission was a meeting with senior executives of Virtuoso, one of the world’s most influential luxury travel networks.
Discussions with Senior Manager Miguelina Cespedes and COO Brad Bourland covered the results of the previous GNTO–Virtuoso campaign and the need for targeted joint actions to promote Greece’s premium destinations.
Virtuoso also shared new research insights on high-end traveler behavior, which will support GNTO’s competitiveness planning and its efforts to attract affluent, experience-driven US visitors.
GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos, Hellenic American Society President Eftychia Pylarinou and GNTO North America Head Konstantinos Charokopos. Photo source: GNTO
Fiorentinos also met with the Hellenic American Society President Eftychia Pylarinou to enhance communication channels with the organized Greek-American community. Talks focused on strengthening outreach to influential professional groups within the diaspora and improving the dissemination of information on both Greece’s tourism offering and investment opportunities.
The GNTO’s secretary general also presented Greece’s 2026 tourism strategy during a press briefing with Greek-American media, highlighting priorities such as year-round tourism development, product diversification, sustainability and the attraction of high-value visitors.
GNTO press briefing. Photo source: GNTO
While referencing the announced American Airlines Dallas–Athens service as part of broader connectivity efforts, Fiorentinos stressed that Greece’s long-term positioning relies on quality, authenticity and balanced growth across the country.
As part of the visit, Fiorentinos also participated in a live interview on New York radio station 77 WABC, discussing 2025 tourism performance, expectations for 2026 and the growing importance of authenticity, safety and stability in destination choice among US travelers.
GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos (right) after his interview on New York radio station 77 WABC. Photo source: GNTO
Further meetings explored additional partnership opportunities, including discussions with NGTV–ERT World on new content formats for the US audience; with Red Apple Group Chairman John Catsimatidis on sustainable destination models such as the UNESCO Geopark of Nisyros; and with tourism professionals focusing on the expansion of sports tourism and cultural storytelling.
GNTO noted that the US remains a strategic priority market, with the 2026 plan centered on quality, extended seasonality, sustainability and strengthening Greece’s appeal among high-value American travelers.
Follow GTP Headlines on Google News to keep up to date with all the latest on tourism and travel in Greece.