Travel.gr, Greece’s No.1 travel website, together with Proto Thema, are hosting the annual conference dedicated to Greece and Tourism on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the Grande Bretagne Hotel. The event is titled Greece Talks 2025 – The Intelligence Age: Travel, Culture & Connection.

The conference will be attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, alongside influential figures from Greece and abroad across the sectors of Tourism, Business, Economy, Culture, and the Arts.

Under the theme The Intelligence Age: Travel, Culture & Connection, Greece Talks will spark critical discussions about Greece’s image, culture, entrepreneurship, and tourism in the era of artificial intelligence and advanced technology.

At Greece Talks 2025, we will explore key issues shaping the future of travel, authentic connections with destinations, environmental protection, place-making that creates experiential destinations, sustainability in hospitality, and the role of Culture, Architecture, and Gastronomy in the traveler’s experience.

Through panels, keynote speeches, and interactive discussions, we will investigate how to foster deeper connections between travelers, local communities, and destinations.

The conference will serve as a meeting point for the multifaceted business ecosystem surrounding the “Greece” brand, offering unique opportunities for networking and meaningful exchange of ideas.

Speakers

Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Born in 1968 in Athens, Kyriakos Mitsotakis graduated top of his class from Athens College before continuing his studies in the U.S. He studied social sciences at Harvard, graduating summa cum laude, and was honored for his thesis on U.S. foreign policy towards Greece. He pursued further studies at Stanford in international economic relations and completed an MBA at Harvard Business School. Mitsotakis worked for a decade in the private sector in Greece and abroad, including as a financial analyst at Chase Investment Bank and a consultant at McKinsey & Company in London. He later held senior investment roles at Alpha Ventures and the National Bank of Greece Group. In 2003, he was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a “Global Leader for Tomorrow.” Elected to Parliament for New Democracy in 2004, he has served multiple terms and held several ministerial positions. Since July 2019, he has been Prime Minister of Greece, re-elected in June 2023.

Kostis Hatzidakis
Vice President of the Government, Member of Parliament for Northern Athens, Vice President of New Democracy, and Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP). Born in Crete in 1965, he is a lawyer with postgraduate studies in European Law. He served as an MEP for 13 years and has held various ministerial posts including Transport, Development, Environment and Energy, Labour, and Finance. He speaks English and French.

Stavros N. Papastavrou
Minister of Environment and Energy. Former Minister of State (June 2023 – March 2024). Harvard Law School graduate. Experienced lawyer specializing in corporate law and capital markets. Key negotiator for Greece during the 2012-2015 financial crisis with European partners and the IMF. Has held numerous leadership roles within New Democracy and European youth organizations.

Nikos Hardalias
Governor of Attica & First Vice President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions. Born in 1968 in Vyronas, Attica. Educated in the UK in Political Science and International Relations. Former Mayor of Vyronas and Executive Secretary of Central Greece Region. Key figure in national crisis management, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fluent in English and French. Married with two daughters.

Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle
U.S. Ambassador to Greece since September 29, 2025. With over 20 years’ experience in law, media, and national politics, she began as a prosecutor handling serious criminal cases and later became a prominent TV host and political advisor in the U.S. Author of best-selling books and former senior advisor to President Donald Trump. First female U.S. Ambassador to Greece. Based in Florida with her son.

Spyros Theodoropoulos
Founder and CEO of BESPOKE SGA HOLDINGS AE, overseeing major Greek food brands such as NIKAS, ION, AMBROSIA, and HELLENIC JUICES. With a long career in the food industry, he was instrumental in the growth and mergers leading to the VIVARTIA Group and CHIPITA’s global success. Holds leadership roles in SEV and other major Greek institutions.

Dimitris Tsitsiragkos
Chairman of the Board of Alpha Bank since January 2025. Over 30 years of international experience in emerging markets and finance, with leadership roles at the IFC and advisory positions with major global institutions.

Panos Palaiologos
Founder and CEO of HotelBrain, Greece’s largest hotel management company, operating over 100 hotels and employing over 3,000 people. Educated in Switzerland, he is a recognized leader in hospitality innovation and education, founding the HotelBrain Academy and winning multiple awards.

Ilias Kokotos
Business Development Director and board member of Elounda SA, a historic luxury hospitality group in Greece. He plays a key role in the strategic development and modernization of the group’s hotels.

Nikos Drandakis

Nikos Drandakis is an entrepreneur focused on technological innovation. He created the Beat app, which expanded to seven countries and was acquired by Daimler.

Born in Heraklion, Crete, and raised in Petralona, Athens, he is the founder of Taxibeat (now Beat), a pioneering taxi booking app that became one of the largest Greek startups. He studied Business Administration and at 25 took over the family shoe manufacturing business, which closed in 1998 due to financial difficulties, teaching him resilience.

He was introduced to technology in the 2000s, learned programming, founded an electronics supply company, and created one of the first Greek tech blogs. In 2007, with the iPhone, he entered mobile applications. In 2010, he founded Taxibeat with a team of four, starting with €40,000. Despite strikes and financial difficulties, it expanded to Brazil, Peru, France, and elsewhere. In 2017, he sold the company to a multinational, turning it into a symbol of success amid crisis.

After 2020, he founded Flyway. He has a son who is a programmer, lives on a salary, and believes success is a continuous effort, quoting Churchill. He believes Greece needs innovation in technology, energy, and design beyond tourism and shipping. Today, he is founder and CEO of Sync, a car rental platform operating with an Airbnb philosophy.

Kostas Varotsos

Kostas Varotsos was born in Athens in 1955 and lives permanently in Greece, where he works. He began his studies at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts in 1976 and continued at the School of Architecture in Pescara, Italy, in 1977. In 1991, he received a Fulbright scholarship in New York, which marked a turning point in his international research and artistic career. In 1999, he was elected professor at the School of Architecture of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is a member of the Engelberg Academy in Switzerland.

His works are located in public spaces in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Egypt, and the United States. He has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. He participated three times in the Venice Biennale (1993, 1995, 1999), the São Paulo Biennale in 1997, and Documenta in Kassel in 2017. In 2014, he was honored by the President of the Italian Republic with the title Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana. In 2017, he was honored by the President of the Hellenic Republic with the Order of the Commander of the Order of Merit.

His most recent work, titled “Ark of National Memory,” is a monumental composition dedicated to 121,692 people who lost their lives in national struggles from 1830 to 1974. Their names are engraved on tall glass columns emerging from the ground, creating a place of collective memory.

Ioanna Dretta

Ioanna Dretta is President of the National Archaeological Museum, CEO of Reds of the Ellaktor Group, and President of Marketing Greece.

She has more than 20 years of professional experience, holding significant leadership roles in both the private and public sectors across various economic fields, managing complex projects and achieving notable success and recognition both in Greece and abroad.

During her career, she served as Acting Minister of Tourism and CEO of Marketing Greece for seven years, leading a recognized effort to reposition Greece’s brand.

Currently, she is Chair of the Board of Marketing Greece. She graduated as a Civil Engineer from the National Technical University of Athens, with postgraduate degrees from Imperial College London (MSc) and Harvard Kennedy School (MPA).

Massimo Osanna

Massimo Osanna is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Naples “Federico II” and, since 2020, General Director of Museums at the Italian Ministry of Culture. He has taught at the University of Basilicata and served as visiting professor in Paris and Heidelberg. He has also served as Regional Superintendent of Antiquities in Basilicata and conducted excavations at various archaeological sites in southern Italy, France, and Greece.

From 2014 to 2021, he was Director of the Special Superintendence of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae (later the Archaeological Park of Pompeii). During his tenure, he oversaw extensive restoration and safety works, as well as promotion and accessibility programs as part of the Great Pompeii Project. He also advanced significant research on temples and public spaces of Pompeii in collaboration with Italian and international universities and research institutes, directing new excavations in Regio V.

He is author of thirteen monographs and over 170 scientific articles on archaeology of Greece and Italy, ancient worship, urban development patterns, as well as phenomena of mobility and cultural interaction. Additionally, he has published studies on cultural heritage management and conservation and curated fifteen exhibition catalogs and more than twenty collective volumes.

Alexandra Cousteau

Alexandra Cousteau is an internationally recognized explorer, environmental advocate, and storyteller, dedicated to restoring the health and balance of the planet’s oceans. As Co-Founder and President of Oceans 2050, she leads pioneering initiatives that unite science, policy, and financial tools to accelerate marine regeneration. Among these, the Global Seaweed Project stands out as the largest worldwide study on seaweed’s role in carbon absorption.

She also co-founded the Blue Cities Alliance, an international coalition of city and business leaders collaborating to revitalize coastal ecosystems and promote a sustainable blue economy. Under her leadership, Athens became the world’s first Blue City, serving as a living example of how urban innovation, collective engagement, and cultural heritage can reconnect people with the sea.

A National Geographic Emerging Explorer and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Alexandra continues the global legacy of her grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and father Philippe Cousteau by promoting a new vision of abundance, where vibrant oceans underpin thriving societies.

Through her work, she blends science with storytelling, mobilizing people and organizations in a worldwide effort to regenerate the planet.