Marios Travel was in the privileged position to attend and exhibit at the ASTA Destination Expo 2018, in Athens held from April 14 to April 16.

The event focused on the prospects of US incoming tourism and the business opportunities presented to Greek Tour Operators.

Our office was represented by Marios Athanasiadis (Director), Chrysanthos Vrochidis (MΚΤ & Business Development) and Dimitra Georgakopoulou (Reservations & Sales).

The conference had more than 500 participants that included 350 American tour operators. More than 1,100 b2b meetings were held between Greek and American professionals. Indicatively, 98% of US delegates intend to use the business contacts they will develop in Greece, while more than 77% believe they will “sell” Greece due to their personal experience, on the occasion of the conference.

The event’s opening ceremony was held at the Herodes Atticus Odeon where Greek Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura, opened the ceremony, referring to the great opportunity offered by the conference to further promote Greek tourism in order to raise the numbers of American visitors to more than the current 1 million visitors per year benchmark.

ASTA chairman Zane Kerby said that the large number of US tour operators is an indication that US professionals see great potential for increasing sales of holidays in Greece, which translates into more US tourists in Greece. The US is the 11th most important inbound tourism market in Greece in terms of arrivals and the 4th in terms of revenues.

As he pointed out, Americans are now travelling abroad more than ever, they are looking for new destinations around the world and Greece responds to their needs, such as safety, wellness tourism, culture and authentic experiences.

Marios Travel shares the opinion of US ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt that American tourists are particularly interested in travelling to Greece with a focus on culture and that there are still many destinations in the country, beyond Mykonos and Santorini, that remain unknown to them, but are of great tourist interest.

Likewise we believe that one of the most fascinating features of Greece is the combination of its natural landscapes, people, gastronomy and its culture. As a result we are promoting our Undiscovered Greece destinations that focus mainly on the Northern Greece and its islands. We feel that this conference would be the ideal opportunity for US tour operators to get to know Greece by bringing together the tourism professionals of the two countries and enhance trust among them.

We at Marios Travel are confident about the opportunities that Greece offers as a tourist destination, and we strive to discover and understand the special needs of the US market and to build strong professional relationships with our USA colleagues.

New MARIOS TRAVEL INCOMING Website

Marios Travel is proud and excited to announce the launch of our new website www.mariostravelinc.com which complements and supports our ever expanding role as an Incoming Tour Operator.

Marios Travel Incoming provides you with all the travel services necessary to plan the trip of your dreams. For over 30 years, Marios Travel honours and amplifies the cultural civilization of Greece by creating innovative programs put together by a team of visionary professionals working together.
Our new website presents to you our tailor-made B2B services specializing in Thematic Tourism such as Historical, Cultural and Religious packages and can also extend it to Leisure and Combination Tours in the Mediterranean Basin. Discover the Undiscovered Greece and walk the beaten track with our Tailor-made and exclusive packages.

We are confident you will find our new Incoming website uncluttered, with great functionality, easy to navigate and to find all the information you need. Please do get in touch to discuss your clients needs and requirements as we are confident that we will be able to plan together the trip of a lifetime in beautiful Greece…

All in all, we believe that this new site will allow for great B2B interaction as fellow Tour Operators & Travel Agents  will have a very informative experience as we continue to grow and increase our Incoming operations and strengthen our market presence.