Crete targets the Indian tourism market

An excellent year in the tourism sector was 2024 for Crete, with an increase of just over 7% compared to 2023.

The Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Kyriakos Kotsoglou, told Cretalive on the sidelines of the meeting of the Crete Regional Council that the island's two largest airports, Heraklion and Chania, "exceeded the 300,000 arrivals of 2023 with an absolute number of 5,350,000."

"We had a very significant arrival with 850,000 cruise passengers, we had an arrival of approximately 22% in domestic arrivals only at Heraklion airport and all this demonstrates the dynamics regardless of whether there were shocks at the beginning of the year," he said.

When Mr Kotsoglou speaks of "shocks", he refers to the crisis caused by the bankruptcy of the once-powerful travel agency FTI, the Israel-Palestine war, the energy crisis from the ongoing war in Ukraine, etc.

"Tourism in Crete has once again proven its resilience. We have another year with a positive sign, and our budget for 2025 guarantees that we will have another exceptionally good year for our Crete," he analysed.

The total budget for the island's tourism promotion on the world stage, participation in international exhibitions, advertising listings, hosting journalists and influencers, and general activities amounts to 1,200,000 euros, compared to 1,250,000 euros in 2024.

"It is an extremely good budget - in proportion, a sign of how much the Regional Governor understands the need for extroversion in connection with the planning we call 'Famous Crete'.

"Also very important is the fact that western Crete and Chania airport exceeded 1,500,000 in arrivals for the first time, while for another year, Heraklion airport also set a record.

Aim "Citius Altius Fortius"

With the Olympic Games motto "Citius Altius Fortius" (faster, stronger, higher), the Deputy Regional Governor of Tourism answered the question of whether Crete intends to open up to new markets.

"Our budget is focused on what we characterise as 'established markets' but also emerging markets," explained Kyriakos Kotsoglou.

He said the emerging market includes Indian, keeping in mind that an Indian company will be in operation of the Kasteli Airport in February 2027. There will also be a Cretan presence at the Indian tourism exhibition in Mumbai, the OTM.

"In parallel with the General Manager of the new Kasteli Airport, we will make contacts there, while afterwards, we will go to Girona, Spain, where the international airport exhibition is taking place."

In this way, the Region is, in fact, attempting to connect with the upcoming opening of the Kasteli Airport, which needs to be maximised in the coming years.

This is because, as the responsible Deputy Regional Governor explains, through this synergy, the Asian market will be opened to a very large extent, and direct flights will be created with very large airports abroad.

READ MORE: Samos Named One of Greece's Most Surprising Destinations for 2025 by National Geographic.