Mainland Greece Hoteliers Want Additional Aid Due to Covid-19

Hoteliers in mainland Greece and primarily in the north are calling on the government to provide additional support and include them in promotional actions in order to ensure the operation of hotels impacted by Covid-19.

More specifically, the heads of Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) hotel associations in Northern and Central Greece said they were finding it hard to recover after the Covid shock.

POX President Grigoris Tasios met with members in Ioannina, Northern Greece in the presence of Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki and Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis.

“Covid-19 variants create market variations,” said Tasios referring to low occupancy rates, which he said stand at 35-40 percent countrywide.

Underlining the importance of human capital, Zacharaki pledged to support hotel owners in rural and mountain regions with resources and tools to be made available through the EU’s recovery fund.

Zacharaki said the recovery fund will be able to support mountain tourism through special programs and will grant loans for innovation, sustainability and upgrade of units.

She went on to add that the ministry would also be organizing seminars and workshops in collaboration with local hotel associations and that 20,000 unemployed seasonal employees would be eligible for subsidized training programs.

With regard to promotional activities, Fragakis said the GNTO’s ongoing marketing campaign budgeted at 25 million euros and covering international media, airlines, and tour operators has included the promotion of mountainous regions.