Greece Talks 2026: a day devoted to memory, connection, and the traveller
On Tuesday, November 10, Travel.gr and Proto Thema bring leaders from business, culture, and hospitality together at the Grande Bretagne under the theme "Nostalgia"
November 5, 2026 – Athens, Greece
Next Tuesday, November 10, the annual Greece Talks conference returns to Athens. Organised by Travel.gr and Proto Thema, this year's edition takes place at the Grande Bretagne hotel, in The Grand Ballroom, under the title "NOSTALGIA: Memory, Connection & the Traveler." Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to attend. The day opens with welcome addresses from Fotis Tsimelas, Chief Product Officer of Proto Thema Group, and Androniki Kolovou, Director of Travel.gr.
Travelworks will be part of the day: Kostas Panagakis, will hold an on-stage conversation with David Kelly of Hilton on the idea of the "Greece brand."
Looking at Greece through memory
The conference brings together voices from very different worlds to talk about Greece through its past, its present, and what lies ahead. Among the themes on the table are an Athens that is transforming without losing its character, Greek brands with decades of history that keep reinventing their purpose, and what it means today to welcome the world in a way that remains authentically Greek. Speakers will also explore how Greece looks to those who chose it, travelled to it, or came to love it from afar.
Running through the programme is the idea of heritage as living material: knowledge, values, science, architecture, culture, and collective memory. The question at the heart of the day is why some things endure, how they take on new meaning in every era, and how they can become a point of reference for what comes next.
Sessions to watch
Four conversations stand out for anyone following Greek tourism and hospitality:
- The global image of Greece, with photographer Robert McCabe, travel writer and editor Rachel Howard, and travel journalist and luxury hospitality brand strategist Nicola Chilton, moderated by Katerina Katopi
- Brand Greece, with David Kelly, Senior Vice President for Continental Europe at Hilton, in conversation with Kostas Panagakis
- Greece as it is, a conversation with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is expected to attend
- The identity of Greek hospitality, with Yannis Retsos (CEO and co-owner of Electra Hotels & Resorts) and Stavros Mitsis (CEO of Mitsis Group), moderated by Ilias Kikilias
A conversation about the Greeκ brand
For Travelworks, the 12:00 session is the one we are looking forward to most. David Kelly oversees Hilton's operations across continental Europe, a portfolio of more than 1,000 hotels, open and in development, across 54 countries and territories. His view of how Greece is perceived, and what makes a destination brand resonate with international travellers, is a natural counterpoint to the surrounding sessions on Athens, Greek hospitality, and the way the country is seen from abroad.
Event details
- Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
- Venue: Grande Bretagne, The Grand Ballroom, Athens
- Full programme and speakers: greecetalks.travel.gr/greecetalks2026
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