ATHENS — Greece's ranking this year in the top place among popular tourist destinations for TUI travellers, the significant increase of Greece's market share in the German group and the extension of the tourist season due to strong demand, were the three main conclusions of a working meeting between Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis and Sebastian Ebel, TUI executive board member.

Customers of TUI, one of the world's leading travel companies, chose Greece as their holiday destination this year because of the excellent health management of the pandemic by the Greek authorities and the exemplary implementation of the health protocols by tourism professionals, which created a sense of security, TUI representatives said, according to a ministry announcement.

An increased demand has allowed TUI to expand the season through November, while the messages conveyed by Ebel for the cruise sector were particularly positive, as Greece is the first country in the Mediterranean in which TUI Cruises restarted its cruise programme. Since last week, it has been offering cruises from Crete to Corfu with a stopover in the port of Piraeus.

Ebel praised the good cooperation with the Tourism Ministry and expressed the group's intention to further expand its business activities in Greece.

The officials also discussed issues of the current tourist season and expressed their optimism for tourist demand in Greece in 2021.