Greece Participates in Transition Pathway for ‘Greener’ Tourism

Greek Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki underlined the importance of sustainable activities and best practices in tourism during an informal virtual meeting of EU tourism ministers on the transition pathway for a green and digital transformation of the European tourism ecosystem by 2030.

Slovenia, currently holding the presidency of the EU Council, and the European Commission organized the 20th European Tourism Forum this week after the meeting of EU tourism ministers. Both events worked towards the creation of a “Transition Pathways” pact for the green and digital transformation of Europe’s tourism industry and destinations.

The Greek deputy minister referred to actions already taken in Greece in this direction, including ordering sustainability studies for Mykonos and Santorini, and the creation of sustainability observatories such as the first Mediterranean Coastal and Maritime Tourism Observatory with the support of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which will be based in Greece.

Greek Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki.

Zacharaki also presented Greece’s dynamic investment drive supported by the EU recovery and resilience plan in green tourism projects and RES infrastructure as well as the latest GR-eco Islands initiative, aiming to kickstart the energy-saving transition of the country’s islands starting from Chalki which was announced earlier this month.

She went on to add that synergies would be playing a key role in the success of Greece’s transition as would education, training and lifelong learning for the tourism sector across Europe.

Representing Greece, Zacharaki submitted proposals for the “Transition Pathways” document setting out the fundamentals of the green and digital transformation of Europe’s tourism industry and destinations.