Tourism is a bridge that unites Greece with Japan, said Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni at a reception organized at the Japanese Embassy in Athens, on the occasion of the national holiday and the birthday of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito.
As an official guest, Kefalogianni expressed the warmest wishes of the Greek government to the Japanese Emperor, the government and the people of Japan, underlining the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation that unite the two countries.
The Minister of Tourism referred to the strategic relationship between Greece and Japan, which was upgraded in 2023 with the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Tokyo, as well as the importance of celebrating 125 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Special reference was made of the “Year of Culture and Tourism of Greece – Japan”, an initiative which, as she underlined, contributed to strengthening the cultural and tourist ties between the two peoples.
The minister pointed out that important milestones of this initiative were the visit of Her Imperial Highness Princess Kako to Greece in May 2024, and the presentation of the Japanese translation of the book “Traveling: Japan” by Nikos Kazantzakis and the photo exhibition “Greece: In the Land of Dreams” by US photographer Robert McCabe, in Japan, which she inaugurated during her visit to Japan in September 2024.
Kefalogianni emphasized the ongoing joint efforts aimed at increasing tourist flows, promoting investments, improving air connections and strengthening sustainable tourism development.
“Tourism is a bridge that unites our peoples, promotes cultural exchange and enhances the prosperity of our societies,” she stated.