Source: newstourism.gr
The Region of Crete took part with its own stand at the international tourism exhibition “Vakantiebeurs”, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 8 to 11 January, with the aim of promoting its tourism offering and further boosting visitor numbers from the Dutch market. The Dutch market ranked fifth in 2025 based on air arrivals at Heraklion and Chania airports, remaining consistently high in the rankings following the pandemic.
Despite the difficult weather conditions that prevailed during the exhibition, the Region of Crete’s stand attracted a large number of visitors, and the public was informed about the island’s comparative advantages as well as the authentic experiences it offers throughout the year. The Region of Crete’s stand was visited by Apostolos Michalopoulos, Greece’s Commercial Attaché in The Hague, and Eleftheria Fili, Deputy Head of the Greek National Tourist Organisation in the Netherlands.
Participation in the Vakantiebeurs exhibition forms part of the Region of Crete’s strategic objectives for 2026, which include enhancing the destination’s international profile, diversifying the tourism offering, extending the tourist season and spreading tourism more evenly across the island.
Through its ongoing and targeted presence in international markets, the Region is working methodically to achieve these objectives, ensuring the sustainable development of tourism in Crete.
The Region of Crete was represented, with the head of the region as its representative, by the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Dr Kyriakos Kotsoglou, Eleni Vougioukalaki, Head of the Tourism Department of the Heraklion Regional Unit, and Olga Milioni, Head of the Planning and Development Department.
The Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Dr Kyriakos Kotsoglou, stated: “The figures and statistics for our international and domestic air arrivals for 2025, as in previous years, demonstrated the proportional growth of Crete, but also the reason why we came to the Netherlands after 2023, despite the fact that the Greek National Tourist Organisation is no longer active here. The Dutch market has seen stagnant visitor numbers since 2019, hovering around 230,000 visitors – a significant figure and one of the top markets – yet this stands in contrast to all other markets, which are constantly growing. The Dutch visitors showed their enthusiasm at our stand, which bodes very well for this year; however, the absence and lack of continuity come at a cost, even for Crete – everywhere!!”.
Source: newstourism.gr