Social Tourism Programs To Make A Comeback In 2013

The subsidized social tourism holiday programs that were cancelled this year are scheduled to re-launch in 2013, according to Labor Minister Ioannis Vroutsis. The social tourism programs provided subsidized vacations to low-income Greeks.

The labor minister informed the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels on Monday 10 September that a legislative framework would be announced for the reform and reactivation of the social tourism programs for 2013. The legislative framework was formed with the cooperation of the chamber.

In August, the hotel chamber had submitted a proposal for the second time to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to reform and take on the subsidized social tourism holiday programs of the abolished Workers’ Welfare Organization (OEE).

According to Greek hoteliers, the cancellation of the social tourism programs had created serious and unsolvable problems to a significant number of businesses that for years had based their operation on social tourism.