Greece Tourism Ministry Strategy to Focus on Local Communities, Employees

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni speaking at the 9th edition of the Delphi Economic Forum (DEF).

Long-term strategies that focus on local communities and the welfare of employees are a key priority, said Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni during her participation in the 9th edition of the Delphi Economic Forum (DEF) held in Delphi, Greece, through to April 13.

Kefalogianni said the ministry has shifted its attention to strategies that aim to distribute the benefits of tourism to local communities and underlined the importance of satisfied employees in the sector.

“We are entering a new cycle of development… going back to our roots… culture is an important link in the chain of tourism development,” she said, adding that culture goes beyond museums and archaeological sites to include festivals, customs and traditions.

Kefalogianni also underlined the importance of funding and said tenders with specific timetables had been announced so that funds would be absorbed as quickly as possible.

Key priorities for the ministry, she said, included enriching the tourism product, improving services and infrastructure, extending the tourist season and distributing the benefits to all regions.

In this direction, a ministry bill would be simplifying procedures so that more tourism investments move forward with an emphasis on special infrastructure, such as marinas, and modernizing the framework for time sharing activities.

Lastly, Kefalogianni reiterated her call for the creation of a permanent EU Council of Tourism Ministers after the European Parliament election in June.