MELBOURNE, October 2026 — The GNTO Melbourne office officially launched on Monday 19 October 2026 at the Consulate General of Greece in Melbourne, which houses Greece’s national tourism body in Australia.
Greece’s tourism body, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), has operated the GNTO Melbourne office since November 2025, so the event marked its formal opening rather than the start of its work. Georgia Dimopoulou heads the GNTO’s Australia office.
The GNTO Melbourne office gives Greece its first permanent tourism presence in Australia since 2013. It also aims to raise Greece’s profile as a destination, build closer ties with the Australian travel market, and strengthen the long-standing links between the two countries.
In particular, the office aims to show Australian travellers Greece’s culture, history, natural beauty and hospitality. Guests heard speeches at the consulate, and clergy blessed the new office.
Why the GNTO Melbourne office sits in the consulate
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said in 2025 that the first head of an overseas office usually starts inside the embassy or consulate general.
“For reasons of institutional propriety, the first appointment of a Head customarily takes place within the Embassy or the Consulate General, so as to ensure institutional integration and seamless cooperation with other Greek authorities abroad.”
Olga Kefalogianni, Greek Tourism Minister, 2025
According to Kefalogianni’s written reply to the Greek parliament, Dimopoulou took up her duties on 3 November 2025. The minister also said the office would have a deputy head and two staff.
Earlier, the Greek Community of Melbourne had offered the GNTO rent-free space at The Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street. However, the government did not take up the offer, and the community called for action over delays to the office in August 2025.
Return after the Sydney closure
The GNTO previously ran an office in Sydney, which closed in 2013 under spending limits during Greece’s bailout years. In 2023, the Greek government confirmed plans to reopen in Melbourne.
Then, in March 2025, GNTO Secretary-General Andreas Fiorentinos set out the case for the office. “Australia is a strategic market for Greek tourism, offering opportunities to increase visitor numbers with significant benefits for the Greek economy,” Fiorentinos said.
More than 180,000 Australians visited Greece in 2024, according to data from INSETE, the research institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in 2025 that tourism revenue from Australia reached €262.5 million from January to September that year, compared with €192 million for all of 2024.
Travellers can find information on destinations across Greece at the GNTO’s official site, Visit Greece.
Photo gallery of the event
All photos are copyrighted by K. Deves
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