Olga Kefalogianni, Tourism Minister

Philoxenia 2013 greeting.

Our highest priority for 2014 is to specify the objectives and actions to implement the national strategic development plan for tourism, which was launched in 2013, a highly successful year for Greek tourism.

With the national strategic plan for tourism, we aimed to broaden the services offered and improve the quality of tourist infrastructure. We achieved a significant increase in the number of incoming tourists and revenues for Greek tourism and the national economy in general.

The measures that were implemented in the framework of tourism policy laid down solid foundations for the further development of Greek tourism.

The target for 2014 is sustainable long-term growth, securing the domestic tourism product. For tourism to become a modern profitable industry of the Greek economy with strong foundations. Resistant to contingencies, powerful against crises and constantly evolving.

To achieve this objective, a coordinated and thorough effort is essential, along with the completion of necessary institutional interventions.

The long-term and sustainable development of Greek tourism will be achieved acting along six key axes or directions.

1st axis: the strengthening of entrepreneurship and facilitation of investments.

2nd axis: the enrichment of the tourism product with the broadening of special types of tourism and the introduction of new tourism products.

3rd axis: safeguarding the quality of tourism infrastructure and services.

4th axis: updating and specifying the institutional framework for special forms of tourism.

5th axis: the development of human resources in tourism with the upgrade of vocational education and the creation of modern types of jobs.

6th axis: the improvement of the effectiveness of administrative and executive structures of tourism policy.

With the completion of the implementation of the national strategic development plan for Greek tourism, the sector will gain strong basic support and resistance, acquiring a modern character and an image which will empower the sector to respond, in the best way, to the requirements of the modern and selective tourist-consumer and to the changing conditions realized by an ever-increasing global competition.