“Greece is a safe and hospitable country which can offer unforgettable, unique experiences. It is a place with inexhaustible stimuli, natural environment, cultural heritage, nice lifestyle, gastronomy and is the cradle of modern civilization. This is the message that you should convey to China country when you return home”, said Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni welcoming 16 couples from China who chose our country to get married.

The 16 couples and their 56 relatives as well as 20 Chinese journalists will visit Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos and Heraklion and their last stop will be Santorini. The wedding ceremony as well as all events will be videotaped and the film produced will be screened at the Shanghai Cultural and Tourism event week in the framework of Greece’s aim to gain access to the vast tourist market of China.

Various actions will follow in order to promote and increase Chinese touristic flows into Greece, such as an advertising campaign organized by the municipality of Shanghai and meetings of tourism businessmen and the Greek General Consulate in Shanghai .This effort is sponsored by the Shanghai municipality, the Greek shipping lines “ANEK Lines”, Greek municipalities and regional authorities, chambers of commerce and hoteliers. .

The group marriages of Chinese couples in our country have become well known through the program “Rose Wedding”. The first group marriage of Chinese took place in 2006 in Oia, Santorini.

Mrs Olga Kefalogianni expressed her optimism on this year’s tourist season saying that it will go even better and added that to make Greece become one of the top tourist destinations in the world, we should provide top quality tourist products and services, but also reach new markets such as the Chinese.

“It is a great opportunity for our country to get advertised,” stressed Kefalogianni noting that “we want to get the message through, that Greece is an ideal destination.” She also stressed that it is a great pleasure and honor as more and more people in China choose to visit Greece, stating that the two countries are now connected with strong economic, trade and cultural ties.

Chinese Ambassador to Greece , Zou Xiaoli, welcomed the group and said: “I would like to thank Mrs. Kefalogianni for attending the event, as it is a great honor for Chinese tourists”. He also mentioned that “Greece is a cradle of civilization and has a long history, beautiful islands and close bonds to China. China and Greece are like a family. We want even more tourists coming here, because that will make our bonds even stronger and more durable,”.