Odyssey effect: stars sell Greece to a new wave of US tourists

ATHENS: The idyllic beaches of the Greek islands have long been a draw for European holidaymakers, but now a new wave of US tourists is waking up to their charms, driven by stars like Madonna, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

Madonna celebrated her 68th birthday on Corfu, sharing a whirl of parties and boat trips against the backdrop of the island’s landscape with her 20 million Instagram followers – earning her rapturous thanks from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

And experts say the huge popularity of Christopher Nolan blockbuster “The Odyssey” will only fuel the trend – though holidaymakers will be hoping for an easier trip home than the one endured by Matt Damon’s eponymous hero.

While Madonna partied in Corfu, singer Bieber took his family to the Peloponnese. Perry and her partner, Canada’s former prime minister Justin Trudeau, sampled the delights of Mykonos.

All of them chronicled their holidays on social media, giving the Greek tourism industry a massive hit of free advertising.

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“Celebrities are voting for the Greek summer!” public broadcaster ERT said on Friday, devoting a report to these stars from across the Atlantic.

The newspaper To Vima hailed this “new wave” which “helps raise the country’s international profile”. It cited British singer and actress Rita Ora, who shared her holidays with “her millions of followers” on social media.

Paris Tsartas, professor of tourism development at Harokopio University in Athens, told AFP the deluge of celebrity endorsements gave Greece a powerful boost as a summer destination – particularly with the lucrative American market.

After a decade of financial woes following the debt crisis of 2009, and the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Greece has pumped money into the sector, which accounts for nearly 30 percent of GDP, according to the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

Around 1.55 million Americans visited Greece in 2025. They represent the third-largest source of tourism income, behind Germans and Britons, according to SETE, with an average spend per tourist of 1,120 euros ($1,300).

To answer growing demand, the main US airlines have significantly stepped up services, American Airlines increasing its total available seat capacity by 30 percent compared with summer 2025.

And this year Greece has had its highest-ever number of direct flights, with 103 connections a week between Athens and the United States.

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Set-jetting

Some of the new enthusiasm is driven by the phenomenon of “set-jetting” – people travelling to a destination after seeing it in a movie or TV series.

In a study for online travel giant Expedia, 13 percent of American travellers said they had booked a trip after seeing a destination on screen.

Greece is well acquainted with the trend, after hit musical “Mamma Mia”, filmed on the island of Skopelos, triggered a jump in American visitors.

Professor Tsartas predicted “The Odyssey” would have a similar impact.

Key parts of Nolan’s film, recounting the travails of Damon’s Odysseus as he seeks to return home from the Trojan war to his wife Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, were shot in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

According to EasyJet Holidays, cited by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, bookings to Greece increased by 18 percent in the weeks following the film’s international release in mid-July.

And there is more small-screen exposure for Greece’s charms to come: Netflix had chosen the country for the sixth season of hit series “Emily in Paris”.

Lead actress Lily Collins and the rest of the production team were spotted this spring in Mykonos, Paros and Santorini.