Destinations

The vision of traveling by hydroplane has again become a reality as Airsea Lines recently begun its routes to nine Cycladic islands daily from the port of Lavrio. In its first phase, the hydro-port of Lavrio services passengers to and from Kalymnos with daily flights and as peak season approaches the routes will extend to Ios, Tinos, Patmos, Amorgos, Paros, Myconos, Santorini and Andros.

Official data from local and international tourism organizations shows that Greece is not a low-cost tourism destination despite an overall opinion that Greece does not attract high-income tourists.

Visa facilitation and readmission agreements between the European Commission and three Balkan countries-Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro – was initialized last month.

Greece lags behind most of its regional competitors in tourism competitiveness. It lies 24th among 124 countries, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index presented recently by the World Economic Forum.

According to local press reports, foreign investors and large foreign enterprises are targeting some of the most important Greek ports and all airports, expecting that the country’s tourism development will continue and expand, in particular into the winter season.

A significant step to revamp the 640,000-square-meter seaside area in western Piraeus to include tourism installations and a sea park was taken last month during a meeting with the country’s public works minister, Giorgos Souflias, the merchant marine inister, Manolis Kefaloyiannis, the local mayors and the owners of properties in the area (the National Bank of Greece, the Piraeus Port Authority, British Petroleum and AGET Heracles).

A number of new cultural events programmed for Athens and Thessaloniki on an annual basis makes up driving force of a campaign to make Greece a preferred destination for cultural tourists, the government announced last month.

The European Commission proposed a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea. This unique ecosystem, it said, is deteriorating as environmental pressures such as pollution and construction increase.

According to the World Travel Trends Report 2006-07 the low-cost / no frill phenomenon is a major factor dictating how countries perform as leisure tourism destinations. And with the expansion of low cost airlines set to continue in 2007-08 city-break style holidays will continue to stimulate tourism between European cities.

The eagerly awaited first special zoning plan concerning renewable energy sources (RES) has been handed in for consultation and is expected to be tabled in parliament in April.