Labor Minister: Tourism Can Help Reduce Unemployment in Greece

Greek Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis (far right) speaking during the “Greek Tourism – A National Affair” conference in Athens. Photo source: Adonis Georgiadis (X account)

The importance of the tourism sector and its decisive role in reducing unemployment in Greece was the focus of Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis’ address during the “Greek Tourism – A National Affair” conference held in Athens this week.

Held under the auspices of the Tourism Ministry and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), the event brought together officials and sector stakeholders who discussed the challenges and the future of tourism.

Among others, Georgiadis said the government’s goal was to accelerate the transition to a new tourism model that will focus on attracting higher-spending travelers and on extending the tourism season.

The minister said, tourism accounted for 20 percent of GDP and affected the labor market to a great extent. He said new legislation addressed a number of issues, including allowing tourism businesses to hire employees from third countries to meet staffing demands.

However, he said, this was costly and only solved the problem short-term. Instead, he added that together with tourism stakeholders, the ministry was designing a training program on digital and green skills to be financed by the resilience fund. The minister also underlined the importance of creating infrastructure to accommodate employee housing needs.

Greek Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis. Photo source: Adonis Georgiadis (X account)

Georgiadis went on to add that after simplifying procedures, Greece and in particular, the tourism sector had managed to attract investments.

“With regard to tourism investments, I have always been keen on encouraging large chains to come to Greece, because they bring their staff with them. Many investments have been made in recent years in the tourism sector and many acquisitions and renovations of hotels,” he said.