Rhodes Eyes Major Tourism Opportunity in Indian Travel Market

Stay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
Click NOW

Rhodes and the wider South Aegean are positioning themselves to benefit from the opening of India’s vast tourism market, South Aegean Regional Governor Giorgos Hatzimarkos said during the TAFI Convention 2026 in Rhodes.

Speaking to Greek and Indian journalists on Sunday evening, Hatzimarkos highlighted the potential for long-term tourism ties between Greece and India as more than 400 Indian tourism professionals and travel agents gathered on the island for the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) convention.

The delegates are taking part in the convention while experiencing Rhodes and exploring the opportunities the island offers as a tourism destination.

Hatzimarkos described TAFI’s choice of Rhodes as a particular honour for the island and said it creates an important opportunity to build stable, long-term relations between the two tourism markets.

He said the goal extends beyond promoting Rhodes, with Indian tourism professionals also encouraged to discover the Cyclades and Dodecanese. The two island groups include around 50 inhabited islands, each offering its own identity, history and range of tourism experiences.

Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini could drive island hopping

Hatzimarkos said Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes could serve as “hubs” for developing island-hopping tourism, allowing visitors to combine the best-known destinations with smaller islands across the region.

He also highlighted the strong demand for the convention. Initial registrations exceeded 600 within just one day, but limited air connections prevented everyone who wanted to attend from travelling to Rhodes.

The South Aegean Region is considering inviting those who could not participate this time to future events.

Direct flights key to unlocking Indian market

Air connectivity between Greece and India emerged as a central issue during the discussions.

Hatzimarkos referred to IndiGo’s direct flights to Greece and its cooperation with AEGEAN, which creates connections from Athens to Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini.

He said the next step could involve exploring direct flights from India to Greek island destinations, initially even on a seasonal basis.

“We need three sides: the aviation industry, travel agents and the people of the destinations,” Hatzimarkos said, expressing confidence that cooperation with TAFI could create the conditions for a new and significant flow of Indian tourists.

South Aegean seeks to tailor tourism for Indian visitors

Hatzimarkos also stressed the importance of adapting the tourism product to the Indian market, from wedding tourism and gastronomy to family holidays, culture and specialised forms of tourism.

“We do not know the Indian market better. The people of TAFI know it,” he said.

He said the South Aegean Region wants to listen to Indian tourism professionals and adapt how it presents the region accordingly.

South Aegean highlights sustainability initiatives

Sustainability also featured prominently in Hatzimarkos’ presentation, with four examples from across the South Aegean.

He highlighted electric mobility and the “Mobility on Demand” programme in Astypalaia, the energy initiative on Halki, the “Rhodes Co-Lab” programme in Rhodes and the zero-waste model in Tilos.

In Tilos, he noted, waste burial has stopped, while recycling and reuse rates have reached 91%, according to the figures he presented.

“In the South Aegean, we are not simply talking about sustainability. We are putting sustainability into practice and we can prove it,” Hatzimarkos said.

Greek hospitality meets Indian visitor needs

The regional governor also addressed hospitality and the specific needs of Indian visitors.

He highlighted the Greek concept of philoxenia and said Rhodes and the other islands have extensive experience in welcoming visitors from different nationalities, religions and dietary backgrounds.

Hatzimarkos stressed that cooperation with TAFI does not represent a short-term promotional campaign. Instead, he described it as the beginning of a relationship that could open a significant new path for tourism in the South Aegean and strengthen the region’s presence in India’s enormous travel market.

Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.