At the Salon Mondial du Tourisme in Paris, from March 13–16, 2025, Crete has once more demonstrated its appeal to French tourists. For three years, this Mediterranean gem delighted guests with its mix of rocky terrain, cultural riches, and gastronomic treats. Crete’s ever-growing fan base among the French seems to show one thing: there’s no such thing as overstaying one’s welcome when the food is outstanding, the scenery is beautiful, and the history is sufficient to make even the Louvre feel nervous.
- French visitors are hardly laid back about their trips. Arriving on March 27, the first charter aircraft into Heraklion will literally be bursting with passengers from France and their German counterparts.
- Retirees are spouting. Many elderly guests rushed for Crete’s pavilion at the tourism show, partly due to the proximity to the Salon des Séniors, a parallel expo targeted at older groups. A research by Alliance France Tourisme (AFT) indicates that French retirees spend without second thought. Their average travel expenses are €2,200, hence younger travellers and their small €1,700 budgets seem to be quite frugal.
What maintains Crete on France’s travel agenda?
The French have, quite rightly, great taste. Year after year, Crete rates well on its list, confirming its reputation as one of the most consistent visitor marketplaces on the island. French visitors have been drawn to Crete for decades for its sun-soaked beaches and its range of adventures that suit every taste (and every degree of sandal readiness). Highlights of their interests consist in:
- Cultural discovery: Wi-Fi passwords are absent from rich traditions and ancient sites.
- Walking and cycling pathways: Nothing beats juggling a passion for great wine and cheese with a fantastic climb over Crete’s breathtaking paths.
- Motorhome adventures: Though less glamorous if parallel parking is involved, individuals who think the trip is just as beautiful as the destination should find great delight.
- Sea tourism: Who wouldn’t desire to plunge into waters less than their existential crises?
The first flights of 2025, scheduled for March 27, are headed for Heraklion. These flights are scheduled to open the tourism season and mostly bring guests from France and Germany—a nice reminder that the French still take their holidays in Crete rather seriously.
Retirees Using Prestige Budgets
Millennials might have more aggressive playlists, but French retirees have financial power with quiet elegance. Inspired by the overlapping Salon des Séniors event nearby, Crete’s booth attracted a lot of senior guests throughout the Salon Mondial. Alliance France Tourisme (AFT) data exposed why Crete keeps attracting this group. Retirees travel six times a year—why would you cut off joie de vivre when you have earned it? Their holiday spending is significantly higher than that of younger visitors; they spend €2,200 on each trip instead of €1,700 paid by their more frugal avocado-toast-eating comrades.
Given nothing goes better with a holiday in Crete than its cuisine, the show also highlighted Crete’s future designation as the Gastronomic Region of Europe in 2026. Visitors tasted a rainbow of tastes, including classic cuisine that seemed to be saying, “Yes, you should have another.” Beyond cuisine, Crete delighted guests with exhibits highlighting its natural beauty, recreational pursuits, and cultural sites.
Among the notable personalities gracing Crete’s booth was Antonis Alexandridis, a proud son of Rethymno, the Greek Ambassador to France. Kyriakos Kotsoglou, Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism; Nikos Syrigonakis, Deputy Head of the Heraklion Tourism Department; Eleni Vougioukalaki, Deputy Head of the Heraklion Tourism Department; and Marina Tsaparidis, a major team player represented the Region of Crete.
Officials Agree: Crete Is Not Exactly a Hard Sale
Kyriakos Kotsoglou made clear the goal of the exhibition: “Salon Mondial is a public exhibition, complementary to Top Resa, which gives us the opportunity to present Crete to visitors who may not use digital media, will not go organized through a tour operator, but will come to the Gastronomic Region of 2026 for nature, history, and culture, so giving another season of an upward trend in Crete, Everywhere!!”
Nikos Syrigonakis, in the meantime, considered the friendly response Crete is still getting: “Representing the Region of Crete and under the Heraklion Regional Unit, we participated in the Salon Mondial tourism show. Above all, we had the chance to witness Crete’s prominent posture once more in the international scene and the love of the French for our island. We also had the chance to create alliances and contact the Greek Embassy in Paris. We are getting ready for another record year again, knowing that the French will be visiting us with an increasing trend.
Crete remains a top-tier French travel destination after another great exhibition at Salon Mondial. There’s no doubting that the French have discovered their sweet spot—from the limitless blue views to the earthy comfort of mountain paths to the indulgence of eating one’s weight in olive oil. For Crete, the difficulty currently is organizing all the guests, as the love story between France and this perfect island is still flourishing.
