Greece Makes Proposal to Reactivate Joint Tourism Committee with Italy

Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou, Italy’s minister for Cultural Goods of Activities and Tourism, Dario Francescini and Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura on Thursday proposed the reactivation of the Greece-Italy Joint Tourism Committee to strengthen bilateral tourism activities between the two countries.

Kountoura made the proposal to Italy’s minister for Cultural Goods of Activities and Tourism, Dario Francescini, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the 1st Intergovernmental Conference between Greece and Italy on Corfu.

The Greek minister underlined that the reactivation of the meetings of the Greece-Italy Joint Tourism Committee would lead to the joint promotion of thematic products that focus on sustainable tourism development. The Greece-Italy Joint Tourism Committee last convened in 1989.

Greece, Italy agree to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism

During the meeting, Kountoura and Francescini referred to the continuous increase in arrivals of Italian tourists to Greece in recent years as well as to the significant momentum of strengthening the tourist flow between the two countries. They agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tourism.

A meeting between the Ministers of Culture and Tourism of Greece and Italy was held on the sidelines of the 1st Intergovernmental Conference between Greece and Italy.

She also underlined that the Tourism Ministry will show full support to the promotion of cultural activities and exchanges between Greece and Italy, within the framework of the cooperation agreement signed between Francescini and Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou.

Moreover, Kountoura thanked her counterpart for Italy’s vote of support to Greece in the country’s recent election to the UNWTO Executive Council.

She also invited Francescini to take part in the OECD High Level Tourism Committee Meeting in Paris on October 2-3, which will be chaired by Greece. The meeting will see the participation of a large number of ministers, institutional bodies and representatives of global tourism and international groups of the tourism industry.

The 1st Intergovernmental Conference between Greece and Italy on Corfu was held under Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.