COVID-19 Restarting Travel & Tourism in Greece Greek Hotels Chief: Covid-19 to Accelerate Tourism’s Digital Transformation by Eleftheria Pantziou 20 November 2020 written by Eleftheria Pantziou 20 November 2020 0 comments Share 0FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 29 The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is expected to accelerate the digital transformation of Greek tourism enterprises in the coming years, Hellenic Chamber of Hotels President and HOTREC Excom member Alexandros Vassilikos said on Thursday. Speaking on the topic during a roundtable discussion of the Greek chapter of the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), Vassilikos said that the pandemic had spurred developments in the sector. “The majority of hospitality enterprises in Greece are small-sized family units with 40 rooms on average. In many cases, there must be a change of generations in order for digital transformation to become part of their operations. But the Covid-19 period and the post-Covid-19 era will accelerate developments and lead to digital reforms much faster than many of us anticipated,” he said. Vassilikos also pointed out that the funding tools available for economic recovery on a European level are based on digital transformation. This, he said, is expected to step up the transition to technology. “Hoteliers should not consider technology a disruption but an evolution. It has become part of our lives,” the chamber’s president added. Tourism demand will bounce back Meanwhile, tourism stakeholders expect tourism demand to bounce back as soon as the coronavirus pandemic subsides. According to Vassilikos, the tourism sector has been on constant growth for the last 70 years – with ups and downs but has also shown resilience. Despite today’s major disruption of Covid-19, he expects tourism to bounce back since traveling will become more of a need than a luxury activity. “Tourism is not part of the problem, but part of the solution,” he noted. Tourism experts also expect digital transformation to affect all aspects of the industry’s operations including the traditional distribution channels, the OTAs, hospitality brands, medium-and small-sized enterprises. According to Dimitrios Buhalis, director of the eTourism Lab at Bournemouth University in the UK, technology will spearhead tourism, however innovation and education are also essential. “Education is key and in many cases its free. There are many innovators out there, as well as many online courses and books available,” he said during IFITT’s roundtable discussion. IFITT’s roundtable discussion on the digital transformation of Greek tourism was also attended by Andreas Koukas, senior marketing manager for Continental Europe, Hilton; Dimitris Serifis, CEO, Nelios Hotel Digital Marketing Agency; Apostolos Tsakpinis, chief technology officer, WebHotelier; Chariton Brousalian, sales manager, Greek Travel Pages (GTP); Sotiris Varelas, lecturer, University of Neapolis Paphos / co-founder, NeTourWork; and Minas Liapakis, co-founder, EyeWide Digital Marketing Agency. The discussion was coordinated by Stavros Kefalas, co-founder of Tourix. The Greek Chapter of IFITT aims to promote the organization’s activities and products on a local level; create a network in the local travel and tourism industry; and organize workshops and small conferences. Join the 15,000+ travel executives who read our newsletter Follow GTP Headlines on Google News to keep up to date with all the latest on tourism and travel in Greece. Share 0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail Eleftheria Pantziou Eleftheria has worked for several financial newspapers, magazines and websites during the past 19 years. Between 2004 and 2014 she worked as a radio producer, reporter and presenter for the Greek and English language program of “Athina 9.84 FM”. She also has hands-on experience in the MICE industry. previous post Athens Urban Regeneration Project to Start with Panathinaikos Stadium next post Greece Lays Out Qualifications for Tour Leader Professionals You may also like Greece’s Hotel Market Sees Major Investments Over Four Months 5 February 2025 Greek Tourism Ministry Monitors Santorini Situation as Seismic Activity Continues 5 February 2025 Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024, IATA Reports 5 February 2025 Greek PM Reassures Public About Santorini’s Ongoing Seismic Activity 5 February 2025 Milos: Ministry Suspends 5-star Hotel Construction Near Sarakiniko Beach 5 February 2025 ELIME and HELMEPA Join Forces for Safer, More Sustainable Greek Ports 5 February 2025 Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ