Dimitrios C. Lambadarios

President,
Greek National Tourism Organization

Philoxenia 2006 greeting.

The Philoxenia exhibition, now in its 22nd year, has become an institution for Greece, which has been organised successfully for all these years and is an event of great significance for the Greek tourism industry.

The interest demonstrated by tourism representatives makes it evident that the exhibition, on one hand, has become a significant pole of attraction for people in tourism internationally, and on the other hand, plays a special role both in Europe and on a regional level in southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Consequently and there is no doubt about it, the position the exhibition has achieved among tourism events and its importance for the perspective of the tourism industry is recognized by the GNTO. Thus, within the context of our goals for the development of Greek tourism, it is our intention to work to support and further expand it so that its leading role becomes even more widely recognized in the international tourism environment.

The GNTO hopes that, by combining the positive results from Philoxenia with our activities, numerous benefits will occur for the Greek tourism.

We should not ignore the fact that our country’s tourism industry is a highpoint for the Greek economy, and in fact if we consider the assessments reporting that tourism will increase significantly over the next years, then it is evident that all those involved in tourism must work quickly and in close cooperation.

Helexpo’s efforts in this direction are already evident, and must constantly be focused on improving the content and quality of Philoxenia in order to attract even more exhibitors and visitors, both from domestic and international markets. Through these efforts, the exhibition will be able to bring out and present new products and services and to follow the developments in the global tourism industry.

We must underline the fact that the GNTO hopes that, by combining the positive results from Philoxenia with our activities, numerous benefits will occur for the Greek tourism.

This exhibition offers a wide range of opportunities for the development of business ventures and also for providing updated information on matters associated with tourism including new trends, innovation and know-how, and for exchanging views on the key issues concerning representatives of the tourism sector.

In conclusion, I would like to stress that the GNTO, in recognition of the efforts being made to date by Philoxenia exhibition, will contribute to Helexpo’s new initiatives intended to gain greater distinction for Greek tourism and help it rapidly transform to meet with international developments, requirements and challenges.