Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni visited Kastoria to launch a strategy turning the northern city into a year-round tourist destination. She led a government delegation to the region as part of a wider tour of northern Greece focused on regional development and year-round travel.
Kefalogianni was accompanied by Deputy Tourism Minister Anna Karamanli and Maria Antoniou, a New Democracy member of parliament for Kastoria. The ministry aims to strengthen the presence of the city and its surrounding region on the tourism map by maintaining visitor traffic across all 12 months of the year.
During an expanded meeting held at the Regional Unit of Kastoria, officials discussed plans spanning mountain tourism, culture, religious routes, pilgrimage circuits, and agritourism. Kefalogianni highlighted the Vitsi ski resort, which has recently received licensing from the Ministry of Tourism, as a key asset to be developed for both winter sports and warm-weather activities such as hiking and nature tours.
To expand international reach, the Ministry of Tourism will work alongside the Greek National Tourism Organization and VisitGreece.gr to host familiarization trips and press visits for foreign journalists, tour operators, and industry professionals. The ministry is collaborating with the Region of Western Macedonia to target specific overseas markets with tailored promotional campaigns.
Infrastructure and Transport Links
Transport connectivity forms a central element of the development plan. Officials are seeking to strengthen air links at Kastoria Airport, focusing on establishing direct international flights to facilitate access for foreign travelers. Road connectivity across Western Macedonia is also set to improve with the completion of the E65 highway.
Kastoria has already been named one of five developing tourism destinations under Greece's White Paper on Tourism Transformation and Development 2025-2030. To oversee strategic promotion and regional growth, officials are preparing to set up a Destination Management and Marketing Organization, with the Tourism Ministry funding technical support and foundational studies.
Kefalogianni said the goal was clear, to turn Kastoria's unique ecosystem of culture, history, and natural beauty into a dynamic destination with benchmark quality characteristics.
Local Occupancy and Cultural Attractions
The announcement comes amid strong visitor numbers in the region. In a meeting with Kastoria Mayor Giannis Korentsidis, Kefalogianni reviewed data showing high accommodation occupancy rates, which reach up to 100 percent during weekends and peak travel periods. Officials now seek to sustain this demand beyond traditional peak windows.
During a visit to the Holy Metropolis of Kastoria, Kefalogianni discussed expanding religious and pilgrimage tourism by leveraging the area's rich collection of ecclesiastical monuments. She concluded her tour at the Dragon's Cave, a prominent natural attraction featuring underground lakes and stalactites.
Kastoria, located in Western Macedonia along the shores of Lake Orestiada, is known for its Byzantine churches, historic fur-trading mansions, and surrounding mountain landscapes. Local officials hope combining lakefront sights, historical neighborhoods, and mountain excursions into a single travel itinerary will drive steady visits throughout the spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
