With a two-year tourism promotion programme worth nearly €17 million, the Region of Attica is seeking to strengthen its position on the international tourism map, leveraging Athens’ name recognition to attract more visitors to the wider region and over a larger part of the year.
The new campaign, presented yesterday by Attica regional governor Nikos Hardalias, under the “Greater Athens Region” brand and with the slogan “More than a region. A phenomenon”, aims to showcase a destination that extends far beyond the Acropolis and Plaka, taking in the Athens Riviera, Piraeus, Mesogeia, Western Attica and the Saronic Islands.
The presentation was attended by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) president Agapi Smpokou, industry representatives and business people.
“The word Attica is, for us, identity, history and pride. And it will remain so. But a traveller in Chicago, Munich or Melbourne is not looking for Attica. They are looking for Athens,” Attica regional governor Nikos Hardalias said at the campaign’s presentation yesterday.
The revenue target
According to Bank of Greece data presented by the regional governor, Attica recorded 9.7 million visits from abroad in 2025, generating €5.84 billion in receipts, up nearly 23% on the previous year.
“I want to be absolutely clear about where we are heading. Our goal is for Attica to become the region with the highest tourism revenue in the country. We already lead in visitor numbers. We are €787 million behind in revenue, and we know we can close that gap,” N. Hardalias said.
The challenge, however, is not just to increase visitor numbers, but above all to persuade travellers to stay for more days. As he said, the average stay in Attica is currently limited to about five nights, compared with seven in the South Aegean, even though spending per night reaches €119, against a nationwide average of €97.
Under the hypothetical scenario presented by the regional governor, one additional overnight stay per visitor could generate about €1.1 billion in extra travel receipts.
Target markets and international promotion
The Region’s tourism promotion strategy is focused, on the one hand, on Greece’s traditional tourism markets, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the Scandinavian countries, and, on the other, on long-haul markets, with a focus on the US, which stands out for its high visitor spending.
The plan also includes Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, India, China and Latin America. At the same time, the Region aims to strengthen its presence in high-spending markets such as Norway, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg, as well as closer markets including the Netherlands, Poland, Cyprus, Israel and the Balkans, from which it can attract visitors for short breaks, particularly in spring and autumn.
The programme includes digital promotion campaigns, business missions abroad, participation in international tourism fairs, familiarisation trips for journalists and travel agents, as well as partnerships with airlines to develop new direct connections.
The campaign’s creative approach is based on a film production shot at 63 locations across Attica.
What comes next
The need to turn Attica’s tourism potential into greater value for businesses and local communities was highlighted by SETE president Agapi Smpokou.
“The priority today is to create greater value per visitor,” she said, emphasising the development of integrated tourism products and stronger public-private sector cooperation.
“The next chapter for Attica is not just about its position on the international tourism map. It is mainly about how we want it to develop as a metropolitan destination. And tourism’s real success is not reflected only in the numbers. It is reflected in a place’s tangible progress and in people’s quality of life,” she added.
Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni referred, among other things, to the importance of hotel investment and the need for tourism development to go hand in hand with residents’ quality of life, while European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas focused on shaping the first comprehensive European tourism strategy and on initiatives to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
He also highlighted a shortfall of about one million workers in European tourism and the potential to attract more visitors from non-EU countries.