Greek Tourism Body SETE Announces New Board of Directors

SETE’s new Board of Directors.

Members of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) elected Yiannis Paraschis, the Chief Executive Officer of the Athens International Airport (AIA), as president of the Board of Directors for the next three years.

Paraschis, who previously served as the confederation’s deputy secretary general, was elected Wednesday at the 31st SETE General Assembly in Athens, and will succeed Yiannis Retsos of the Electra Hotels & Resorts chain, who served in the role since 2017.

SETE’s new Board of directors is as follows:

Yiannis Paraschis.

President
Yiannis Paraschis (Athens International Airport S.A.)

1st Vice President
Grigoris Tasios (President, Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX))

Vice Presidents
Panagiotis Tokouzis (President, Greek Confederation of Tourist Accommodation Enterprises-SETKE)
Lysandros Tsilidis (Board member, Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies-HATTA)
Eftihios Vassilakis (Aegean Airlines – Olympic Air)
Kallinikos Kallinikos (Goldair Handling)
Agape Sbokou (Phaea Resorts)

Vice President for Finance
Manolis Giannoulis (Giannoulis Hotels & Resorts)

General Secretary
Vernicos George (Vernicos Yachts)

Alternate General Secretary
Fotis Kokotos (Elounda Hotels & Resorts)

Members of the Board
Konstantinos Alexopoulos (Domotel S.A.)
Filippos Venetopoulos (Variety Cruises)
Charalambos Voulgaris (Kontokali Bay Resort & Spa)
Konstantinos Zikos (HotelBrain)
Maria Theofanopoulou (Greek Travel Pages)
Achilleas Konstantakopoulos (TEMES SA)
Athinagoras Konstantinidis, (Atrium Hotels Group SA)
Yiorgos Kyvernitis (Kyvernitis Travel SA)
Chloe Laskaridis (Lampsa Hellenic Hotels S.A.)
Aris Maroulis (Maroulis Travel SA)
Stavros Mitsis (Mitsis Company SA)
Michalis Sakellis (President, SEEN)
Andreas Stylianopoulos (Navigator Travel & Tourist Services LTD)

Members by Merit
Fokion Karavias (Eurobank)
Aris Marinis (President, GEPOET)

New president sets SETE’s targets

SETE’s new president, Yiannis Paraschis (center), with the confederation’s two previous presidents, Andreas Andreadis and Yiannis Retsos, on the sidelines of SETE’s 31st General Assembly. Photo source: SETE

During the handover event at the 31st SETE General Assembly on Wednesday, SETE’s new head thanked the two previous presidents Andreas Andreadis (during 2011-2017) and Yiannis Retsos (during 2017-2023) for all they have done for the confederation.

Speaking to outgoing president Yiannis Retsos, Paraschis said: “I also want to ask you to stand by us, as a supporter in the new effort that begins today; as a fellow traveler in the next decisive years for the good of Greek tourism.”

SETE’s new president, Yiannis Paraschis, with the confederation’s outgoing president, Yiannis Retsos, during the the handover event at the 31st SETE General Assembly. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Paraschis then thanked SETE’s members for their vote of trust and said that 2023 shows that it will be a good year for Greek tourism, marking a dynamic exit from the biggest crisis experienced by the industry.

“But it would be a mistake to believe that the increase in tourist flows, revenues and visitor satisfaction for the next few years are a given,” he underlined.

With that, Paraschis mentioned the five pillars on which SETE will focus on: investments and competitiveness, infrastructure, destination management, labor market and sustainability.

SETE’s new president said: “It will take a coordinated, intensive and inspired collaboration of the new government, local government, tourism workers and entrepreneurs to ensure that by 2030 our country will not only be one of the most attractive destinations in the world… but above all a leading sustainable destination for its residents and visitors. SETE will contribute with the maximum possible effort in this direction.”

Yiannis Paraschis 

Paraschis is the CEO of AIA since 2007. He served as AIA’s Deputy CEO from 2001 to 2007. He joined AIA shortly after the company’s establishment in 1996, following an international career in academia and strategic management consulting with A.T. Kearney and Deloitte. He holds a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Operations Research from the University of Hamburg.

SETE’s new president serves on several boards and councils of companies, academic institutions and trade associations in Greece and abroad, including: member οf the World Governing Board of Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade association of airports, where he served as chair from 2011 to 2013; member of the Board of ACI EUROPE, which he chaired from 2007 to 2009; and chair of the Greek Council of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (Terra Carta).

Following a series of international distinctions for AIA and after 20 years of personal contribution to the international aviation industry, Paraschis was honoured in October 2015 with the first “CAPA Airport Chief Executive of the Year” Award.