Alternate Tourism Key to Development

At the reception following the recent Negroponte Resort Eretria conference on alternate tourism are Kostas Katsigiannis, general manager of the Hellenic Tourism Organization; Antonis Nanos, president of the East Sterea branch of the Greek Economic Chamber; and Thanassis Bouranta, prefect of the area.

Rural, conference, exhibition, athletic, religious and cultural tourism are the main ingredients for tourism development, according to speakers at the recent Negroponte Resort Eretria conference on “tourism as the key to strategic development under modern conditions.”

Speakers at the conference included specialists in each of the alternate tourism fields mentioned from both the private and public sector.

During the dinner and reception, tourism professionals discussed the current difficulties with the Greek tourism sector and mentioned that every year more and more countries vie for the international tourist. The basic premise, they said, is for business and government to make the best use of the country’s advantages and not simply exploit them for the sake of exploitation.

They said that promotion is necessary to let the world know what comparative advantages we offer, but that the image that prevails in the long term is the one spread through travelers’ tales and up until not that is one of neglected environment, poor but expensive service and overall arrogance.

When the subject of security came up, a number of guests reminded that many other countries have the same problem but are not suffering as is Greece.