Greece’s Regional Tourism Council Sets Funding for Refugee-hit Islands as Top Priority

Securing funds to support Greece’s refugee-hit islands and to boost regional coffers topped the agenda of the 2^nd Regional Tourism Council held at the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) offices on Thursday under Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis.

“It is of vital importance that we’ve managed to secure 2 million euros from the solidarity fund to improve the image of the islands that are dealing with the burden of the refugee issue,” said Theoharis addressing representatives from the country’s 13 regions.

The minister added that in the meantime the GNTO, through its ongoing campaign, was working to restore the reputation of the islands at the forefront of the refugee crisis.

The council also discussed the ministry’s promotional campaign, marketing projects for each region, tapping into new funding tools, integrating new technologies, and the upgrade of tourism education and training.

During the meeting, Deputy Tourism Minister Manos Konsolas laid out funding allocation priorities for the 2021-2027 period to go towards infrastructure.

According to Konsolas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged a third of these resources to regional operational programs, adding that 87 percent of all tourist traffic is concentrated in five regions.