Minister Backs Peloponnese Region to Increase Tourism Flows

Increasing tourism to the Peloponnese and setting up a regional tourism council topped the recent agenda of talks between Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis and Peloponnese Regional Governor Panagiotis Nikas.

Despite being home to more than half of Greece’s archaeological sites, the Peloponnese is still to lagging in traveler flows, accounting for a mere 2.6 percent of all tourism arrivals.

“I visited Tripolis where I met with Peloponnese Regional Governor [Panagiotis] Nikas and discussed setting up a regional tourism council. At the same time, we looked into why the Peloponnese Region, a historically beautiful area with 60 percent of the country’s archaeological sites, accounts for only 2.6 percent of the tourists… We are here to support the region and local businesses to change this,” said Theoharis.

Photo © Mythical Peloponnese

Theoharis pledged the ministry’s support in efforts to boost the appeal of Peloponnese destinations including sharing knowhow, expertise and resources on ways to extend the tourism season through the creation of alternative forms, including gastronomy, religious, and hiking tourism, and attracting higher spending travelers.

The minister also met with Tripolis Mayor Konstantinos Tzoumis and local stakeholders with whom he discussed the need to upgrade infrastructure, and suggested they set up local councils which would in turn inform the regional tourism council of key issues.

In relevant news, Tripolis will be hosting the Peloponnese Expo on November 13-17 organized by the chambers of Argolida, Arcadia, Achaia, Ilia, Korinthia, Laconia and Messinia.

The five-day expo, to be held at the GEA exhibition center, will  focus on local innovation, production, and entrepreneurship in the areas of F&B, construction, energy, environmental technology, media, advertising, and informatics, among others.

The Greek Travel Pages (GTP) is a media sponsor of the 2019 Peloponnese Expo.