Andreas A. Andreadis

President,
Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers

Philoxenia 2007 greeting.

For yet another year, Greek tourism has developed its potential and proved its endurance to adversity and to elements of the “unexpected.” The rhythm of development it has displayed is higher than the world and European average and all the available statistics allow a reserved optimism for additional increases in the following years.

Greek tourism finds itself today at a high level compared with its basic size. This, however, demands the acceleration of the forces of tourism.

It is essential today the need to accelerate structural reforms that are demanded for the armament of Greek tourism, for the improvement in competitiveness in the tourism product and for the enhancement of business dexterity.

On a sector-based level, one of the most important priorities remains the quest for small and medium hotel businesses to achieve the know-how and the means to use it competitively with a market plan and within intensive competition. It must have the means to safeguard its viability, to achieve a recognizable character in the services and the product that it offers, to exploit the “family” environment under which it functions. It must search for new markets and address more categories of clients.

In this manner we can armour Greek tourism, and particularly the hotel sector, which has been tested hard in past years, and deserves to see better days.