Athens continues to strengthen its position as a year-round destination, bringing together its remarkable cultural heritage with the energy and vibrancy of a contemporary European capital. Its neighbourhoods, cultural life and gastronomic scene offer visitors opportunities to discover the city in every season.The city’s multi-faceted identity, where layers of history blend into vibrant contemporary every day living – from the bustling-life center down to the slow, relaxed lifestyle of the Athenian Riviera – , offers compelling reasons to explore further, discovering local businesses and communities along the way.

At Athens International Airport, we support this momentum through close cooperation with our airline and tourism partners, strengthening the international connectivity of our city and country. During the first nine months of 2026, we welcomed 27.31 million passengers, an increase of 4.3% compared with the same period in 2025. New connections, including the direct air services linking Greece and India for the first time ever, open opportunities for tourism, business and cultural exchange.

These developments are accompanied by investment in more sustainable infrastructure. With the successful and timely completion of the ROUTE 2025 project, our net-zero carbon roadmap for the Airport Company’s operations, we now cover all our electricity needs with clean, renewable energy generated on site and supported by battery storage. Through this investment not only has the airport achieved its net-zero target 25 years ahead of the timeline set by the aviation industry , but it also substantially improves the city’s environmental footprint and demonstrates how technology and strategic investments can contribute to a destination’s environmental performance and resilience.

The themes of this year’s GRtraveller edition, THE NEW GREECE, bring all the above into focus: smarter and sustainable infrastructure, the appeal of city breaks and the experiences rooted in local culture and production.
WTM London provides a valuable opportunity to share this evolving tourism story and strengthen the partnerships that support it, while our own commitment to expand connectivity, improve the travel experience and continue closely cooperating with our partners to promote Athens and Greece, remains unwavering.

I extend my warmest wishes to GRtraveller and all our tourism partners for a productive WTM 2026.