Andreas Andreadis

President,
Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers

Philoxenia 2010 greeting.

Almost a year ago we were expressing our concern for the dark clouds that had begun to form over the horizons of Greek tourism.

As confirmed at present, tourism is experiencing a crisis not so much because of whatever impact the global crisis has left, but due to the chronic deficits in tourism and development policies, which, unfortunately, have perpetuated and intensified.

Looking past the course of arrivals, which seem this year to remain on last year’s levels -a particularly bad year- all other statistical and qualitative figures of Greek tourism show a significant retreat. For the second consecutive year tourism revenue is showing a high percentage of reduction. Already in the first seven months of 2010, which recorded a 9.6 percent decrease, more than 470 million euros were “lost” and on a two-year level (2008-2010) tourism revenue dropped some two billion euros.

In recent years the tourism product of the country has been devalued. As a result, tourism’s contribution to the country’s GDP will have dropped to less than 15 percent by the end of 2010 compared to its 18 percent contribution to Greece’s GDP in 2008.

A series of bold measures is demanded, such as the reduction of the VAT on tourism services, the promotion of the Zoning Law for Tourism, the strategic planning of Greek tourism development and, above all, the placement of tourism within the priorities of the Government and the Prime Minister.