Greek tourism is “changing face” through 39 projects

The establishment of a Central Body that will undertake the maturation of 39 critical infrastructure projects, sustainable tourism development, in 26 destinations with high tourist traffic, was announced at the conference of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) by the Minister of State responsible for the coordination of the government project, Akis Skertsos . As Mr. Skertsos said, the Government agrees with the axes of the National Strategy for Tourism 2030 submitted by SETE and initiates the establishment of a Central Body that will undertake the maturation of 39 critical infrastructure projects, sustainable tourism development, in 26 destinations with high tourist traffic .

The Minister added that for some, financing has been found through the known tools (Recovery Fund, NSRP, Public Investment Program and Rural Development Program) and “we are in the phase of identifying the financing for the rest”.

At the SETE annual conference on Reimagining success, the bet of Greece’s transition to sustainable development was analyzed, with the uniqueness of the domestic tourism product as an aid and a key factor.

Taking advantage of directions and experience from international and domestic best practices, speakers from the field of politics, economy, the wider tourism sector, culture and applied arts presented the framework of the strategic orientation for the next day of Greek Tourism, as a lever to accelerate the competitiveness of the country.

“Greek tourism knows how to win”

Opening the conference, the president of SETE, Yiannis Retsos, pointed out, among other things, that “Greek tourism knows how to win” despite the current unprecedented difficulties, providing strong support to the Greek economy. As he noted Greek tourism can be a reliable guarantor of stability, development and social cohesion for everyone. The focus of  the conference, as he said, is dedicated to the next day, on how Greek tourism will be able to contribute decisively to Greece’s transition to sustainable developmen, with a sustainable development model in mind that respects the environment, destinations, and people.”

The Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, stated, among other things, that Hellenic Tourism Organization- EOT, SETE, Marketing Greece and the INSETE institute for tourism have put into practice the cooperation between the public and private sectors. He particularly focused on the cooperation developed in recent years with the Ministry of Tourism, effectively supporting the effort to fully restore Greek tourism, after the pandemic. At the same time, he emphasized that “SETE presented a comprehensive proposal for the tourism development of the country in the coming years. In this phase, a prioritization is made of the projects that can start so that our destinations can upgrade their infrastructures”.

Challenges and Development Prospects of Greek Tourism

In the first discussion panel entitled “Challenges and Development Prospects of Greek Tourism” participated Mr. Akis Skertsos, Minister of State and responsible for the coordination of government work, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of State and Digital Governance and Kostas A. Karamanlis, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, in a live discussion with the President of SETE, Mr. Yiannis Retsos. The Minister of State responsible for the coordination of the government project, Akis Skertsos, as mentioned above, announced the government’s intention to establish a Central Body that will undertake the maturation of 39 critical infrastructure projects, sustainable tourism development, in 26 destinations.

The Minister of State and Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis focused on the digital steps, which helped the evolution and development of the country. Mr. Pierrakakis noted that the actions of the Ministry concern all sectors of the economy, while he mentioned the “Evia pass” and the “Samos pass” as an example for tourism. Special emphasis, as he pointed out, will be given by the government to investments for the telecommunication coverage of all regions of Greece. The goal is to cover all of Greece with optical fiber by 2027, a development that will help both the tourism development of the country and the residents.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, referred to the new infrastructure plan also targeting Tourism. He also noted the great effort being made for the further development of airports. After the concession of Kalamata airport, he added that “we will see what other airports can also be concessioned or use a PPP, where the state keeps the airport and the management is given to private parties, so that these airports can also respond to the critical work they provide.” For the summer this year when we did not have the problems like other airports abroad with flight delays and cancellations, the Minister emphasized that this was not accidental, but happened after the labor peace, achieved with the air traffic controllers.

Complete experience for the visitor

In a very interesting fireside chat about Contemporary Culture and the Greece brand, Mr. Nikolas Giatromanolakis, Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports responsible for Contemporary Culture issues and Ms. Ioanna Dretta, CEO, Marketing Greece talked about the path from the recognition of cultural resources to the development of attractive tourism products that offer a comprehensive experience to the visitor.

Mr. Giatromanolakis said, among other things, that the cultural dimension of tourism offers huge scope for development in Greece as, although we have a strong cultural and tourism brand as a country, we are now starting to connect them. Cultural tourism is not exhausted in the archaeological part, as by adding to the mix the visual arts, festivals, music, theater, but also handicrafts, more and diversified visitorsare attracted and the design of contemporary cultural experiences, can contribute substantially to the sustainable tourism development of the entire country.

The destinations that stand out

For her part, Ms. Dretta focused on the importance of developing a destination identity. With examples such as Epirus, but also the city of Athens, the two interlocutors analyzed how modern culture, theatre, arts, cultural heritage, handicrafts are valuable elements for building the identity of a destination and have the power to change his image.

At this year’s Conference, participants had the opportunity to watch successful examples of tourism products from the international environment, which managed to relaunch, after redefining relations with local communities. Valeria Duflot, Co-Founder and Inspirer of Venezia Autentica, Jelka Tepšić, Deputy Mayor of Dubrovnik and Graeme Jackson, Head of Strategic Partnerships, The Travel Foundation shared insights from personal experiences and examples from their cities during the second panel discussion entitled “Redefining the Relationship of Tourism with Local Societies” powered by Toposophy.

Finally, the third panel, entitled “Greek Talent on the Front Line of the Future”, brought together Greek creators from the fields of architecture and design. Messrs. Margarita Ventouraki, Senior Project Designer, Betaplan S.A., Lydia Vousvouni, Fashion Designer, Co-Founder and Creative Director, KIÓHNE, Thomas Doxiadis, Principal, doxiadis+ Architects & Landscape Architects, Elia Lampiri, Ceramist, Mud Lab, Vangelis Liakos, Co-Founder, Beetroot design group talked about the concept of beauty, the evolution of aesthetics in Greece and the elements that make it unique, both for Greeks and for visitors.