In 2018, another banner year for the Greek tourism industry, visitor numbers from the US increased by approximately 25% over 2017. This number is projected to rise even further in 2019, spurring US carriers to add direct flights to Athens to their schedules.
The latest addition is American Airlines’ daily direct flight Chicago-Athens-Chicago, set to operate for the summer season of 2019. The service was rolled out at a lively event in Athens on March 6, hosted by American Airlines and with heavy attendance by the Greek travel industry as well as representatives from the commercial section of the US Embassy in Athens and FedHATTA.
Addressing the audience at the roll-out event, Lysandros Tsilidis, President of FedHATTA, applauded the new direct service to Chicago. And added that he looks forward to the service being extended to operate year–round, so American visitors can enjoy the 365-day experience that Greece offers.
FedHATTA has made the US market a strategic priority, as reflected in its close cooperation with ASTA, its sister organization in the US. In April 2018, FedHATTA co-hosted the extremely successful ASTA Destination Expo in Athens, and this spring, will host another ASTA delegation in Rhodes for the ASTA International Showcase.
For FedHATTA, the US market is also important for bringing our clients to the US. With this in mind, and with a view to strengthen relations further, we have had discussions with the commercial section of the US Embassy in Athens to promote the US as a destination for our clients.
Tags: American Airlines
