Argyro Fili

President,
Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA)

Philoxenia 2009 greeting.

This year’s 25th International Tourism Exhibition Philoxenia is taking place at a time when the global economic crisis has affected international tourism and of course Greek tourism.

Over the years, Philoxenia has contributed to the tourism development of our country and has given a boost to tourism in Northern Greece. For all of us it is a reference point, an opportunity to promote our tourism offer, a meeting area for professionals.

From Philoxenia’s first steps, back in the 1980s, Greek tourism passed to another age, the age of maturity. New facts now dominate the tourism market: liberalization of air transport, low cost carriers, introduction of the Internet together with the “revolution” it has brought to bookings and of course the climate changes of our planet that signals the radical alterations to the tourism process.

We live in a new era that requires new strategies, new approaches and a new mentality.

We all need to coordinate our efforts to contribute to the redesign of our tourism policy through a new perspective, to break through the international tourism markets and make use of our great comparative advantage, which is our tourism.

We must think about its future and preserve our environment for the benefit of sustainable tourism development.

We call on to the state and local government to assist, to support the efforts of tourism professionals with a modern approach, without preconceptions and competition distortions. We call on the state to build the future of tourism with us.