SETE: Greek Tourism Must Stay Alert

The demand from the German market to Greece is going strong compared to 2017, which also was a year that had gone very well, Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) President Yiannis Retsos said on the sidelines of the ITB Berlin 2018 trade show that opened its doors on Wednesday.

Citing figures from the SETE Institute regarding flights and seats to Greece for 2018, Retsos told GTP Headlines that right now Greece is appearing as the second most important destination for German tourists, after Spain.

“This is very positive but also something that does not allow us to sit on our laurels and keeps us — the private sector — alert,” Retsos said.

“Now we must organize our strategy, correct it where necessary and reform it accordingly, so that this positive trend continues for Greece and for tourism to remain a very important activity for many years to come,” he said, adding that the greatest challenge is having cooperation between all involved — both the private sector and the state — so that tourism remains strong and powerful for Greece.

“When you have a strategy, then you can cope with any difficulties that arise or may occur in the future,” Retsos said, adding that Greece must come up with a strategy to attract more upscale visitors, so more money can come into the country.

“This does not come in itself, but comes with a strategy, product enrichment, promoting new destinations, thematic products, improving our existing product through education, training, more specialized staff, better service,” he said.