Ioanna Dretta: New Greek Gov’t Must Coordinate to Ensure Tourism Sector

Greece’s interim Tourism Minister Ioanna Dretta. Photo source: SETE

Managing tourist flows at high-in-demand destinations, reducing costs for tourism enterprises, preserving value for money, ensuring sustainable development and practices, and resolving staffing issues should be the top priorities of the government that will come to power in Greece following the elections on Sunday, said interim Tourism Minister Ioanna Dretta.

In interviews to local media, Dretta said arrivals were faring according to estimates but external factors, including geopolitical developments and the cost-of-living crisis could affect outcomes.

At the same time, Dretta said that Greece is faced with tough competition from rival destinations in the Mediterranean which are making a strong comeback.

Dretta underlined that meeting the demands of approximately 30 million tourists visiting Greece with high expectations was also a key challenge.

Formerly CEO of Marketing Greece, Dretta stressed the importance of coordinating all entities so that a national tourism strategy is implemented effectively and Greece can be one step ahead of competitors with targeted actions and policies.

Crucial for the next day of Greek tourism, she said, is moving ahead with critical infrastructure projects and upgrades, the development and promotion of innovative tourism products, improving education and offering upskilling opportunities, enhancing entrepreneurship, accelerating digital upgrades and the transformation of the tourism ecosystem, environmental protection and sustainability.

Lastly, Dretta said the new government once elected on Sunday should also be able to formulate a fair short-term rentals regulation that will take the arguments of all sides into consideration.