Greek Hoteliers Bring ‘Ski Week’ Proposal Back to the Table

Parnassos Ski Center – Kellaria site. Photo © Maria Theofanopoulou

Greek hoteliers reiterated their proposal for the establishment of an annual winter school holiday, during a workshop this week in Athens on the “Prospects of Development and Sustainability of Greece’s Ski Centers”.

Addressing the day event, organized by the Snowclub Association of Tourist Skiing and the Central Greece Region, Drama Hotel Association President Angelos Kallias reiterated the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers (POX) proposal for a so-called “Ski Week” – a four-day vacation period for schools.

Dubbed “White Week”, the idea of a mid-winter break is aimed at offering incentives for family tours, boosting tourism at winter destinations as well as reviving tourist activity at lesser-known destinations across Greece, and finally strengthening local communities and economies tested by the crisis.

Ski weeks are popular in central and northern European countries, giving parents the chance to take a winter vacation with their kids and at the same time support winter destinations.

Initially, the plan had been backed by the tourism ministry and was set to launch in 2015 but it was put on ice with authorities citing unresolved issues with other ministries.

Kallias, who is also responsible for POX public relations, referred to the reciprocal relation between ski resorts and hotels, underlining that increased demand in one leads to strong demand in the other. Kallias went on to add that only with revenues from year-round activities such as trekking, climbing and adventure tourism, can local communities proceed with the upgrade and maintenance of ski resort infrastructure.