Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni met on Tuesday with the new Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Greece Fang Qiu. The further strengthening of tourism cooperation between Greece and China and the promotion of special forms of tourism, such as cultural and wedding tourism, as well as lesser-known tourist destinations, were the focus of their meeting.
Fang Qiu stressed the importance of tourism in the relations between the two countries, noting that Greece is one of the five most popular destinations for Chinese tourists in Europe. He emphasised that Greece's image in China is closely linked to beauty and culture. He noted that many Chinese couples choose to hold their weddings on Greek islands in the Aegean, which is known in China as the "Sea of Love."
During the meeting, Kefalogianni and Fang Qiu also discussed the organisation in Greece of the High Level Conference on Tourism Cooperation, in the framework of the 14+1 initiative (Central Eastern European Countries and China), at the end of the first quarter of 2025. The Chinese Ambassador expressed his country's full support for the event.
Finally, the possibility of air connections between China and Greece to specific tourist destinations, in addition to the main Beijing-Shanghai-Athens air link, was also discussed.