Expanding air connectivity from the Middle East and key long-haul markets such as Australia and East Asia emerged as a key focus for the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) during this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), held in Dubai from April 28 to May 1.
ATM is the largest travel exhibition in the Middle East, and this year ran under the theme “Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity”.
The GNTO represented Greece with its own stand, joined by Greek tourism businesses, airlines, airports, cruise lines, startups, and regional tourism boards active in the Middle East market. GNTO President Angela Gerekou and Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos held a series of high-level meetings with key airline partners, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, flydubai, and Air Arabia.
“Greece’s growing potential in the Middle East for this year’s tourist season was confirmed,” the GNTO stated following the meetings.
Strategic airline developments
During the event, the GNTO held discussions with major carriers on expanding routes and boosting air capacity to Greece.
Talks with Qatar Airways focused on a 15 percent increase in air seat capacity from Australia to Athens, with further expansion under consideration for 2025, including the potential reinstatement of the Thessaloniki route.
Meanwhile, Air Arabia confirmed it is upgrading its Sharjah–Athens service to a daily connection and is exploring additional Greek destinations in collaboration with the GNTO through joint promotional campaigns.
At the same time, flydubai, which currently links Dubai with Mykonos, Santorini, and Corfu, is weighing the possibility of extending its Greek operations beyond the summer season and adding new destinations in 2026.
Additionally, Fiorentinos met with representatives from Emirates, building on the Memorandum of Understanding already in place between the airline and GNTO. The two sides agreed on a targeted promotional campaign to boost demand for Emirates’ year-round Athens–New York route, and to support growth in markets like Japan, China (Shenzhen), and Australia, where seasonal connectivity to Greece continues to strengthen.
“These actions confirm Greece’s strengthening position in the Middle East market,” the GNTO noted. “We play a decisive role in driving tourism flows through strategic partnerships and coordinated promotion.”
The ATM event brought together over 2,600 exhibitors from 161 countries, with participation from industry professionals exceeding 47,000. Notably, attendance from Asia and India rose sharply – by 27 percent and 41 percent, respectively, compared to last year.
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