The “Marketing Partnership of the Year” award for 2026 went to the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) at the annual Jet2 Marketing Awards, held in Leeds, England.
The award recognises the quality and effectiveness of the joint advertising programme between the Greek National Tourism Organisation and Jet2holidays for 2026, according to an announcement. It also forms part of the GNTO’s strategy to develop more effective and targeted partnerships with British tour operators.
Alongside traditional forms of marketing — radio campaigns, programmatic advertising, video on demand and articles in major national media outlets — this year’s programme included targeted, innovative initiatives to promote Greece and engage British audiences for the first time, including:
boosting Greece’s presence among the network of 80 independent travel agents in south-west England through a joint GNTO and Jet2holidays event in Bristol,
promoting Greek cuisine through Greek recipes featured in “The Greek Kitchen” at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham, which attracted 26,000 visitors,
using gamification to create a dedicated game about Greece for the Jet2 app. It recorded more than 700,000 plays in just one week, while attracting 13% new customers, and
organising a familiarisation trip (fam trip) for six popular British influencers to six different Greek destinations. The trip generated 104 posts and a total of 5.4 million views, significantly expanding the campaign’s digital reach.
Commenting on the GNTO’s award, Eleni Skarveli, head of the GNTO’s UK & Ireland office, said: “The use of new, more creative and interactive marketing tools that link awareness of Greece with engagement is evolving the traditional model of joint advertising with tour operators, multiplying the GNTO’s ROI and boosting bookings to Greece throughout the year.”
The Greek award was accepted by Angela Tzifa, deputy head of the GNTO’s UK & Ireland office.
The awards ceremony took place as part of the Jet2 Destination Partnerships event, which the GNTO attended to deepen business partnerships and further promote Greece in the British tourism market.
Senior executives from Jet2.com and Jet2holidays attended the event, along with more than 40 representatives of national and local tourism organisations from Europe and North Africa, as well as representatives of 12 British airports, to strengthen links between destinations, airports and Jet2.
The programme included presentations and a series of themed panel discussions aimed at fostering dialogue on key issues facing the tourism sector, including reactions to tourism growth, new trends in the British market, changing consumer behaviour and how to make more effective use of joint advertising programmes, with a focus on the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence and new digital technologies.
Specialist breakout sessions were also held, with representatives from Google, Meta, Adobe and Mail Metro Media. Discussions focused on new technologies, the use of data and personalisation tools, and the development of tailored marketing programmes to optimise the promotion of tourist destinations.