Philoxenia Celebrates 20th Year

All of Greece’s state tourism leaders were on hand for the annual press conference that accompanies Philoxenia, but this year there was no official arrival figures announced for 2003.

This year’s Philoxenia tourism fair, the 20th, was another successful one according to its organizing body, Helexpo. It announced increases in stand participation and increases in the number of visitors.

Overall, it claims there was an 8% increase in the number of visitors when compared with last year, and that exhibitor numbers increased from last year’s 667 to 671 this year – 238 direct and 433 indirect or co-exhibitors.

Side events at the fair included press conferences by regional authorities and government leaders. Tourism Development Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, during a press conference, said that the year 2005 will mark the recovery of tourism in Greece. He said circumstances are particularly favorable after the Olympics and the government will not miss the opportunity, as the previous tourism leadership did during the pre-Olympic period.

Makis Fokas, president of the Chamber of Greek Hotels, took the advantage of Philoxenia to call together hoteliers and discuss the basic problems faced and the solutions suggested by the chamber. To his left is Vassilis Manaides, president of the Panhellenic Hoteliers’ Association.

Mr. Avramopoulos reiterated his determination to change the face of Greek tourism from the sea-sun pattern, promoting alternative forms such as conference, exhibition, cultural and city tourism as well as ecotourism, diving and sailing tourism.

However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the activity of the Tourism Development Company (ETA) to date, stressing that if certain action is not taken by the year’s end, changes cannot be ruled out. The ministry has set a timetable giving ETA until the end of the year to adopt specific investment initiatives.

The current policy involves luring investors as a core objective, and with the new investment incentives bill Greece will become a destination for investments for both foreign and Greek entrepreneurs wishing to be involved in the tourism sector.

The minister announced that along these lines there would be incentives for particular destinations and for the alternate form of tourism ideal for each region.