From left: Alice Fonseca, head of partnerships & niche markets UK Visit Portugal, Airi Motokura, Director Japan National Tourism Organisation, Maria Hernandez, head of Department Spanish Tourist Office, Flavio Zappacosta, Head of ENIT UK & Ireland, Eleni Skarveli, Head of the GNTO Service United Kingdom & Ireland, Manuel Butler, Director Spanish Tourist Office, Lindsey Thorpe, Marketing Promotions Manager Visit Malta, Harald Henning, Director German National Tourist Office, Ruby James, Marketing Manager Korea Tourism Organisation, Charlotte Becker, Digital Marketing & Events Manager German National Tourist Office.

GNTO at the Wanderlust Summit: Sustainability and cultural heritage of destinations as a key holiday criterion

More than 8 out of 10 travelers worldwide now choose their holidays based on criteria such as the sustainability of destinations and the experiences offered by nature, cultural heritage and the history of destinations.

This emerges from a survey of readers of the British magazine Wanderlust, which was presented in London (18 March 2026) in the context of the Wanderlust Summit, which took place in cooperation with the Association of National Tourist Offices (ANTOR) at Holborn Town Hall, in Central London.

In the context of actions that strengthen the image of Greece in the British market, the GNTO Service United Kingdom & Ireland participated in the event, which brought together 60 important representatives of the international tourism industry. According to the key findings of the survey:

84% of travelers consider sustainability important in the choice of destination Nature & wildlife (80%) and history & cultural heritage (75%) constitute key travel motivations 96% state that they are inspired by Wanderlust content for the selection of new destinations 54% proceed directly to booking after visiting the Wanderlust platform

From left: Maria Hernandez, head of Department Spanish Tourist Office, Harald Henning, Director German National Tourist Office, Flavio Zappacosta, Head of ENIT UK & Ireland, Eleni Skarveli, Head of the GNTO Service United Kingdom & Ireland, Giorgos Kipouros, editor-in-chief and publisher of Wanderlust magazine.

The Head of the GNTO Service United Kingdom & Ireland, Ms. Eleni Skarveli, participated, as a member of the Board of Directors of ANTOR, in a panel discussion on cultural tourism, together with representatives of the Tourism Offices of Italy, Spain and Germany. In the discussion, she highlighted the common challenges faced by national tourism organizations in promoting culture in an innovative way and underlined that Greece has a strong comparative advantage, as its rich history, mythology and living traditions offer significant opportunities for the development of cultural tourism experiences beyond the emblematic monuments that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The event concluded with the signing of the new collaboration of Wanderlust magazine with Reed XL, in the context of the international tourism exhibition World Travel Market London 2026, which will take place from 3 to 5 November 2026 and constitutes the leading platform for meeting the global tourism industry, shaping future trends and determining the partnerships of the sector for the next season.

INFO

Wanderlust magazine is the leading consumer travel medium in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of over 137,000 copies and global reach in more than 70 countries.

At the same time, its strong digital presence attracts more than 1.2 million users monthly and more than 12 million visitors annually, while its readership is characterized by a high-income profile, with an average annual income of £106,000 and annual travel spending of £12,000.