“Tourism is the largest sector in Greece, where Greece has unquestionable – and to some extent, untapped – comparative advantages,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out on Thursday during his visit to the Tourism Ministry.
“The country needs a ten-year plan for tourism in the future, which, as Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis has said, will focus on competitiveness, innovation, and sustainability. Today there can be no tourism product in Greece that does not give priority to environmental protection,” Mitsotakis stressed.
This plan shall be drafted within the next six months, in cooperation with the tourism sector, the Prime Minister announced, adding: “We want the contribution of the private sector, which is the one that kept Greek tourism up in the years of the crisis.”The PM concluded: “Our job is to make sure that things that have never been done before are at last done. That is why we want clear timetables, clear targets and we expect the relevant ministries to implement them. I hope this tourist season will be as successful as possible and that we will make the best use of our time to do what Greece deserves, not only for its citizens but also for its visitors.”
For his part, Tourism Minister Haris Theocharis underlined the need for regulations to “bring some order” to the short-term rental market, which has exploded all over Greece in recent years but also steps to bolster tourism professionals with better education options.“We need a world-class system when it comes to tourism education,” Theocharis added. The minister also cited that the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) will have to reach out to the private sector in order to design a new model for promoting the country that will “send the right message to the right people.
Tags: Greece,Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, GNTO
