- Six Turkish journalists and influencers spent five days in eastern Crete.
- The visit marked the launch of the direct flight from Heraklion to Istanbul.
- Organised by the Region of Crete and several Greek and Turkish agencies.
- Highlights included ancient ruins, authentic cuisine, and unique experiences.
- Massive online reach: over two million followers exposed to the Cretan charm.
- The Cretan hospitality left everyone raving and a little sunburned.
- Official data shows soaring Turkish visitor numbers.
- New visa rules and direct flights are expected to facilitate even more arrivals.
- Greek officials see significant potential in leveraging influencers as ambassadors for tourism.
Six Turkish content creators, journalists, and a couple of chefs arrived in eastern Crete for what appeared to be a five-day Mediterranean paradise. The point? Celebrate the new Aegean Airlines route from Heraklion to Istanbul and, more importantly, convince millions of their followers that the Cretan hospitality isn’t some marketing fiction dreamed up by bored tourism officials.
This junket wasn’t just about stuffing faces with moussaka and knocking back shots of raki. These guests were taken to Heraklion’s hotspots, ancient Knossos, and the kind of picturesque spots that raw Instagram dreams are made of. Every moment spent gawking at Lake Voulismeni or wandering through Kritsa’s alleys got beamed out to an audience itching to trade Turkish traffic for Crete’s blue skies.
Beyond Hashtags: Real Cretan Hospitality with a Side of Wine Stains
Let’s talk about their schedule. Here’s what the sponsored adventure looked like:
- Tasting wine until the difference between earthy and fruity became just “yummy.”
- Getting lost in Knossos and pretending to know Greek history.
- Pretending to cook but mostly watching while locals did the hard part.
- Trying out perfume-making for that “eau de Heraklion” back home.
- Playing at being sailors for a day, then swapping stories on deck.
- Even a round of golf for those who prefer their sea breeze with a golfing glove.
Did this work for the Tourism Department? They’re probably still patting themselves on the back. The team from the Region of Crete, Greek diplomatic channels in Turkey, and various tourism strategists orchestrated the entire performance, banking on viral stories to flood social media with beachy FOMO. By the time this crew flew out, Instagram, Facebook, and every middle-aged aunt in Ankara knew about the Cretan hospitality and that one chef’s sunburn.
Data and Declarations: Officials Talk Big, Visitors Post Bigger
Backstage, the Greek tourism powers are basking in the glow of analytics. Reports indicate that Turkish arrivals exceeded 1.2 million in 2024. Direct flights, Southeast Asian connections, new express visa rules at Greek islands and harbours—bureaucratic magic! Combine that with a few star influencers, and the message is clear: pack your bags, Turkey, the party’s on Crete now.
The official soundbites came fast. Dr. Kyriakos Kotsoglou from the Region of Crete referred to every foreign guest as a walking advertisement for the island, especially when the guest is a Turkish influencer. Meanwhile, Michalis Klontzas bragged that these campaigns spotlight what Crete does best—making visitors wish their lives came with more sunshine and fewer traffic jams.
Bottom line: give Turkish influencers a free trip, some local cheese, and spotty WiFi, and the results speak for themselves. The stories, posts, and photos drummed up more buzz than a midsummer tourist stampede. Crete’s hospitality turned six slightly sceptical visitors into sun-kissed, raki-toting purveyors of Cretan folklore—and the internet got to watch it all unfold.