Greece Transforming its Tourism with Digital Platforms and RFF-Funded Infrastructure Projects

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni with (from left) Cabinet Member George Papatzanis, Tourism Ministry Secretary General Vasia Koutsoukou and Deputy Tourism Minister Elena Rapti.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on Thursday unveiled a series of transformative initiatives designed to enhance Greece’s reputation as a leading travel destination.

At a press conference in Athens, the minister presented several projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, emphasizing strategic actions aimed at strengthening the country’s tourism sector.

“We are focused on maximizing the absorption of available resources while ensuring the highest level of efficiency,” said Kefalogianni.

The minister outlined a range of innovative projects integrating cutting-edge digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance Greece’s tourism offerings.

One major initiative is the launch of a call for proposals to promote niche forms of tourism through digital platforms. These platforms will target mountain tourism, agri-tourism, maritime and diving tourism, and wellness tourism.

More specifically:

• Agri-Food & Gastronomy Tourism platforms: A new platform will act as a national Destination Management Organization (DMO) that fosters synergies between agriculture, food, and tourism. The platform will promote agri-tourism and gastronomy, with an interactive map featuring agritourism and culinary resources across the country.
• Mountain Tourism platform: A dedicated platform will highlight Greece’s mountainous regions, showcasing destinations, activities, and cultural and historical landmarks.
• Maritime Tourism platform: This platform will feature an application for visualizing the country’s tourism port infrastructure network, presenting Greece’s full marine tourism capabilities.
• Diving and Underwater Tourism platform: A platform dedicated to diving will include an interactive map of dive destinations and a digital guide to diving centers. It will also feature an AI-powered assistant to provide personalized recommendations based on user interests.
• Wellness Travel App: A new app will support wellness travelers, providing information about wellness-related destinations and points of interest. The app will use AI technology and voice recognition to offer users a seamless experience.

GNTO digital transformation

Kefalogianni also highlighted the ongoing digital transformation of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO). The primary objective of this project is to develop an innovative information system for travelers, evolving the existing visitgreece.gr platform. This new system will incorporate second-generation artificial intelligence to deliver quick, accurate travel information. Services will include tourist itineraries, translation assistance, attraction searches, and details on fares and tickets. Additionally, an AI-powered Information Desk will assist travelers.

Attracting digital nomads

The tourism ministry will also launch a call for proposals to develop a platform aimed at attracting and serving digital nomads. This platform will provide essential information for digital nomads, offering guidance on living and working in Greece.

Eastern Mediterranean Coastal and Maritime Tourism Observatory

Kefalogianni further referred to the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Coastal and Maritime Tourism Observatory. The development of a standardized framework to measure the environmental footprint of coastal and marine tourism in Greece and the broader Mediterranean region is already underway. This includes the creation of a digital platform and website for the Observatory.

Progress of RFF-funded infrastructure projects

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

Minister Kefalogianni also discussed several key infrastructure projects financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund. She highlighted the strong response to invitations for project applications, noting impressive participation in the calls for funding proposals.

For the six calls totaling 237 million euros, a total of 251 investment projects were submitted, amounting to 376 million euros in requested funding.

Specific project areas include:

• Ski resort upgrades: 16 projects, totaling approximately 149 million euros, have been submitted, surpassing the available budget by 100 million euros. Four projects have already received approval, including ski centers in Anilio in Metsovo, 3-5 Pigadia in Naoussa, Parnassos, and Selio in Veria.
• Tourist port upgrades: 41 projects totaling 182 million euros have been submitted. Eleven projects, including marinas in Lavrio, Agios Kosmas, Rhodes, Lefkada, and Zea, have received approval.
• Beach accessibility improvements: 160 projects, totaling 31 million euros, were submitted, surpassing the 17 million euro budget. Approvals are expected by the end of the month.
• Mountain shelter upgrades: Seven projects, with a total budget of 1.3 million euros, are currently under evaluation.
• Thermal tourism facilities: Eleven projects totaling 9.3 million euros are under review.
• Diving tourism support: With a budget of 6.2 million euros, 16 applications have been submitted. The call remains open until December 20.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Minister Kefalogianni also referred to a new tourism education initiative designed to upskill and reskill professionals and workers in Greece’s tourism sector. This program will offer training to 20,000 beneficiaries, with a training allowance of up to 1,250 euros per participant.

The response to the initiative has been “exceptional,” with around 40,000 applications submitted within two days of the platform’s opening on October 30.

Referring to the broader scope of these projects, Kefalogianni emphasized their potential to diversify and strengthen Greece’s tourism product, upgrading services and creating new investment opportunities.

“Our goal,” she said, “is the qualitative development of Greek tourism and the further promotion of Greece as both a globally appealing destination and a model of sustainable tourism development.”