With the aim of fully restoring the Japanese market in Greece, which has weakened in recent years, FedHATTA, in collaboration with the Mayor of Kalymnos, Dimitris Diakomichalis, organized a trip for the Ambassador of Japan to Greece, Yasuhiro Shimizu and his wife, to get acquainted with Kalymnos and the unique sports tourism possibilities it offers – especially for a sport that has recently joined the Olympic Games, rock climbing.

On the trip, the official guest was the Ambassador of Japan, who, together with the president of FedHATTA, Lysandros Tsilidis, as well as a staff of parliamentarians representing the government, the President of the Hellenic-Japanese Association and the President of North Events, were given a tour of the island’s attractions, tasted the local cuisine and had the opportunity to see up close the natural rock climbing tracks that the island has, making it a unique destination for this sport. In fact, the Ambassador himself participated in a sport climbing demonstration event in Massouri.

The mission held a working meeting with productive operators of the island, exploring the potential offered by this unique Greek destination in activity tourism.

“Kalymnos can emerge as a year-round tourism destination. The island offers rock climbing and diving opportunities and can be a vehicle for the revitalization of tourism flows from Japan. The extraordinary beauty of this Greek island must also be highlighted, as natural beauty is highly appreciated by the Japanese. And we have organized a circle of contacts for the realization of business missions in Japan to promote Greek tourism,” said the president of FedHATTA, Lysandros Tsilidis.

Already, FedHATTA is in discussions with the Ministry of Tourism and GNTO to organize a mission of Greek tourism professionals (tourism agencies, selected hotels and cruise and yachting companies) to Japan, in order to hold B2B meetings and participate in a roadshow.

This can be the first step, so that the invitation of Japanese professionals and journalists to Greece can follow, creating the conditions for the expansion of relations between the two countries.

FedHATTA is already leading the actions to open the Japanese market for Greece, at a time that is particularly favorable for the promotion of our country and the increase of tourism inflow from this large tourism market.

Specifically, FedHATTA supported the initiative of the Hellenic-Japanese Association for the claim for Athens of Japan Week (November 23-28) of the International Friendship Foundation (IFF) and cooperates with the Ministry of Tourism, GNTO and the Municipality of Athens, for this purpose. Japan Week will include a series of cultural events and performances focusing on Japanese culture, and will result in extensive exposure of our country in Japan. 1,500 Japanese artists and journalists will visit Athens, promoting the Greek capital and Greek hospitality to the international media.

And in March 2020, the Olympic Flame lighting ceremony and the Cultural Olympiad are two more opportunities to promote Greece in Japan.