Greece Unveils €240 Million Culture-Led Tourism Strategy to Extend Season and Spread Visitors Beyond the Islands

Athens, Greece (TRI) — Greece has launched an ambitious €240 million initiative designed to reposition the country as Europe’s leading year-round cultural destination and reduce pressure on over-touristed islands.

Dubbed “Greece: All You Want in One Place – Culture 365,” the five-year plan, announced jointly by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture on 26 November 2025, will channel funds into restoring lesser-known archaeological sites, digitising museums, creating new themed routes, and aggressively marketing shoulder-season city breaks.

“Sun and sea will always be part of our identity,” Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said at the Acropolis Museum launch event, “but culture is the only product we can guarantee 12 months a year. This strategy will finally allow Athens, Thessaloniki, Delphi, the Peloponnese and northern Greece to claim their rightful share of visitors.”

Key pillars of the plan include:

• €85 million for infrastructure upgrades at 37 archaeological sites outside the traditional summer circuit, including ancient Messene, Vergina, and Philippi.
• €60 million to modernise 28 regional museums with extended hours, multilingual audio guides, and immersive VR experiences.
• €45 million for 12 new thematic routes (Byzantine, Classical, Industrial Heritage, Jewish Heritage, and Gastronomic trails).
• €50 million digital marketing push targeting high-value travellers from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Israel during October–April.

Early results are already visible. Athens recorded a 19 % increase in overnight stays in November 2025 compared to the same month in 2019, while Thessaloniki and the Peloponnese posted double-digit gains. The Acropolis Museum now opens until 22:00 on Fridays year-round, and combined tickets linking the capital with Delphi and Nafplio have seen 40 % uptake since their October introduction.

The move comes as Greece’s total international arrivals are projected to exceed 36 million in 2025, with tourism revenue expected to top €22 billion. Yet island infrastructure—particularly Santorini and Mykonos—continues to groan under peak-season pressure. The new strategy explicitly aims to redistribute at least 15 % of summer visitors to mainland cultural sites and shoulder months by 2030.

Industry reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Greek Hoteliers Federation president Giannis Retsos called it “the most coherent plan we’ve seen in decades,” while EOT (Greek National Tourism Organisation) director Dimitris Fragakis confirmed that North American and Israeli bookings for winter 2025–2026 are already running 28 % ahead of last year.

For travellers, the message is clear: Greece is no longer just a July–August destination. Whether tracing the footsteps of Alexander in Pella, tasting ancient varieties of wine in Nemea, or catching Aristophanes under the stars at the newly restored Epidaurus theatre in November, the country is finally opening its deepest treasures to the world—on its own terms, all year long.