Greece Attends ‘European Tourism Day’ Conference in Brussels

Secretary general for tourism policy and development George Tziallas at the “European Tourism Day” conference.

The future of European tourism was discussed during the “European Tourism Day” conference recently held by the European Commission in Brussels.

Representing Greece, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development George Tziallas participated in a panel discussion on the future synergy and collaboration models in tourism and presented Greece’s policy, which aims to enhance tourism development.

He spoke of Greece’s cooperation with international organizations, aiming to promote thematic products and highlighted the importance of synergies between the public and the private sector in the implementation of investment projects in tourism.

Furthermore, Tziallas referred to the ministry’s collaboration with Greece’s regional authorities in efforts to align their activities with the national tourism strategy. Moreover, he underlined that the ministry has been promoting, through EU funding programs – such as the INTERREG – and other initiatives, the cooperation between Member States by entering partnerships with other public organizations from Greece and the EU.

During the conference, Tziallas met with Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska and discussed on the development prospects of Greek tourism enterprises and SMEs with the support of the European Commission.

Bieńkowska also accepted the invitation of Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura to visit Greece, which was conveyed by Tziallas.

Taking place annually, the conference was attended by senior officials of the European Commission, the member states, the European Parliament, international organizations and private sector bodies. The conference looked into a number of issues, including the investments needed on a European, national and regional level and the cooperation opportunities aiming to enhance Europe’s position in the global tourism industry.