Greece to Present New Tourism Strategy at WTM London 2023 Expo

The Greek stand at the WTM London tourism expo in 2022. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Sustainability, infrastructure improvement and destination management will be at the core of Greece’s new tourism strategy that will be presented to the industry during this year’s World Travel Market (WTM) travel trade show in London next month.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni recently gave a sneak preview of the new strategy to journalists during a media briefing in Athens.

“Greek tourism has a new philosophy and we will present this in London… We are closing a 10-year cycle, which included difficult years for our country and saw tourism supporting the national economy, employment and society… We are now opening a new chapter in tourism, one that includes moderation, balance and the principles of sustainability,” she said, highlighting that the term “sustainability” goes beyond protecting the environment.

“Sustainability also has to do with social cohesion, with destination management, with maintaining a balance, with safety and of course with the possibility of long-term development… This will be part of the ministry’s new tourism strategy,” Kefalogianni said.

RRF-funded projects, New special zoning plan for tourism

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni speaking during a briefing to Greek journalists on Tuesday.

During the media briefing, the minister referred to upcoming actions involving the sector.

Touching on the subject of improving Greece’s tourism infrastructure, Kefalogianni said that the ministry considers the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU instrument that provides grants and loans to support reforms and investments, of particular importance.

According to the minister, the government within the next few weeks will publish notices and invite applications to release grants from the recovery fund for projects concerning infrastructure improvement, such as upgrades to tourist ports (marinas) and accessibility to beaches.

“The main priority is the maximum and proper use of the recovery fund’s resources,” she said, adding that the effectiveness of the funding depends on the absorption rate and management, mainly by local governments in regions and municipalities.

Moreover, the minister announced that a bill including the official establishment of the Regional Tourism Council and development of the country’s thermal springs, will be tabled in Parliament in the next few days. The bill will also include provisions to establish the proposed observatory of sustainable tourism development, which was established during her previous term as tourism minister (2012-2015) but never took off.

When asked about the new special zoning plan for tourism, which has been dragging on for more than a decade, the minister replied that it is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2024 and then submitted to the Spatial Planning Council. The special zoning plan for tourism will promote development alongside environmental protection in Greece.

Referring to government support towards destinations that were affected by natural disasters, Kefalogianni said that the special digital passes for the fire-stricken Evros and Dadia were almost ready to launch. The passes will offer beneficiaries vouchers around 150 euros to spend during their holidays in the areas and cover their accommodation, dining and transportation expenses.

The minister said a similar pass will be announced for people to holiday in Pelion, Thessaly, which was affected by flash floods, once accessibility to the destination is restored.

Stayover tax to become “green” levy

Regarding the so-called stayover tax charged on hoteliers and its possible replacement by a “climate change levy” or “green levy”, the tourism minister said that the government is looking for the charge to have a “reciprocal character”.

According to Kefalogianni, the government’s financial team is working on a plan so that there is a reciprocity of some kind for destinations and that part of the levy would go towards the preparation of studies involving tourism projects.

She added that the government is also examining the suspension of the increase of the stayover tax during the shoulder months (period of low demand) for tourism. “This is in the context of our strategy to extend the tourist season and strengthen mountain destinations given the high seasonality of Greek tourism,” she said.

The war may affect Greek tourism indirectly

Referring to the war raging in Israel and the impact it will have on Greek tourism, the minister stressed that indirect consequences for the sector may occur in addition to direct effects.

“Israel is a very important market for Greek tourism… This is a market that supports our efforts to expand the tourist season as Israeli travelers come to Greece outside of the summer season,” Kefalogianni said, adding that the war has caused a direct impact which is seen in the drop in arrival numbers since flights from Israel have stopped.

“However, we have to see how it will also affect us indirectly, due to proximity. Wars can act as a “pretext” for terrorist attacks in Europe, which may have indirect consequences for Greek tourism,” she stressed.

The minister added that the geopolitical instability and insecurity created by the war in the Middle East may even affect tourist flows from long-haul markets, such as the United States, to Europe.