ITB 2015: Greece Tourism Investment On the Up

Stephanos Issaias, CEO of Enterprise Greece. Photo © GTP

There is a rise in investor interest to Greece through tourism, according to Stephanos Issaias, CEO of Enterprise Greece.

Enterprise Greece (former Invest in Greece) is the official investment and trade promotion agency of Greece under the supervision of the Ministry for Development and Competitiveness. It promotes and facilitates private investment and export trade.

While speaking during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday, prior to this year’s ITB 2015, Mr. Issaias said that Greece is in the process of upgrading its infrastructure by offering a traditionally strong and internationally recognized tourism product and through the increased participation of investors in the tourism sector, while also diversifying the offered product.

“The country is being transformed into a year-round destination,” he informed an audience of German journalists.

“Enterprise Greece welcomes responsibly all business plans and supports investors through transparent and direct guidance, so that both the investor and the country can benefit to the highest degree possible.”

During the press conference, the German journalists were also informed on Eurobank’s dedicated Hotel and Leisure Unit, which provides local expertise and customized financial solutions to its clients. The bank manages a loan portfolio of over 1.38 billion euros, comprised of 160 medium and large hotels and resorts.

“Eurobank is the financial strategic partner of Greek tourism… We are committed to further expanding our leadership in the sector, through directly funding and raising capital from international investors for sound tourism business endeavors,” said Kostas Vassiliou, General Manager Corporate & Investment Banking Eurobank.

Eurobank has launched a “strategic dialogue” with domestic and international private investors for hotel renovations and new projects to be developed over the next two years, exceeding 0.5 billion of total value.