Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias noted the benefits arising for Greek families from the rise of tourism in a post on Twitter.

A call to Emirates for a direct flight from Dubai and New York to Thessaloniki, was addressed by the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias.

"Athens suffered greatly in recent years and, in a volatile global environment, showed its potential and a walk in downtown Athens, the historic commercial district, is enough for someone to realise that the visitors have returned," Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in an interview with RealFM on Tuesday, underlining that "the fact that we took the decision to start the tourism season earlier played a key role in this recovery."