Greece is refocusing on the Australian tourism market by reopening a Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) office in Melbourne, giving the country a new base to promote Greece beyond the traditional island holiday.
The office, housed at Greece’s Consulate General in Melbourne, was officially inaugurated on October 19, bringing together Greek and Australian officials, tourism professionals, business representatives and members of Melbourne’s large Greek-Australian community.
The Melbourne office began operating on November 11, 2025, under its head, Georgia Dimopoulou. Its return to Australia follows years of requests from the Greek Community of Melbourne and other diaspora organizations.
The previous GNTO office in Australia, based in Sydney, closed in 2013.
Greece Wants More Than Summer Island Holidays
The new office has a fairly ambitious brief.
According to GNTO, Australia is an important market with growth potential, but the goal isn’t simply to sell more beach holidays.
The organization wants Australian travelers to discover a broader Greece, including:
- Cultural tourism
- Gastronomy
- Wellness
- Outdoor activities
- City breaks
- High-end travel
- Maritime tourism and cruises
- Tours and nature-based experiences
The strategy also emphasizes sustainability, authentic local experiences, and personalized travel.
In other words, Greece is trying to persuade visitors that life extends beyond the postcard island.
A Push for Year-Round Tourism
One of the most important objectives is extending the tourism season.
The Melbourne office will work with Australian travel organizations, agents, airlines, media, and other industry partners to promote destinations and experiences year-round.
The strategy also calls for greater attention to lesser-known destinations and alternative forms of tourism, helping spread visitors more widely across Greece rather than concentrating demand in the traditional peak-season hotspots.
That could be good news for destinations such as Crete, where cultural sites, gastronomy, hiking, wellness, villages and nature can draw visitors well beyond the height of summer.
Melbourne’s Greek Community Is Part of the Strategy
The Greek-Australian community is central to the story.
Vassilis Papastergiadis, president of the Greek Community of Melbourne, and other community representatives have long highlighted Australia’s importance for Greek tourism and the diaspora’s role as a bridge between the two countries.
At the inauguration, officials also emphasized the cultural and historical ties connecting Greece and Australia.
GNTO Secretary General Andreas Fiorentinos said the organization wants to expand the Australian audience interested in Greece through targeted campaigns, partnerships with tourism professionals and stronger media engagement.
The aim is to attract not only Australians with Greek family or cultural connections, but also travelers looking for Greece as a destination in its own right.
What This Could Mean for Crete
For Crete, the strategy matters most.
The island already offers many of the experiences the GNTO wants to promote: archaeology and history, gastronomy, wine and olive oil, hiking, nature, wellness, maritime experiences, and increasingly sophisticated accommodation.
Australia is also a long-haul market, making longer stays and more experience-rich itineraries particularly relevant.
If the new Melbourne office persuades Australian travelers to look beyond the classic Athens-and-islands formula, destinations such as Crete can capture more traffic outside the traditional summer rush.