Initiatives

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) launched initiatives last month that aimed to change the negative climate that is impacting the country’s tourism industry in the international travel market. True …

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), foreign tour operators and Greek expatriates have launched a series of initiatives aimed to restore the country’s image internationally and reverse the negative trends that have affected bookings in Greece so far.

“For true friends only trust counts,” is the slogan of a print campaign launched in late March in the German media to support Greek tourism.

The Greek Government approved an amendment tabled in Parliament last month that opened the way for the establishment of a public-private marketing company for Greek tourism. The amendment was tabled by Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Yeroulanos and specifically involved a long-awaited venture between the Greek public sector and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

Germany’s leading travel industry media group FVW Mediengruppe will hold its annual workshop in Athens next month and give Greek hoteliers the opportunity to discuss strategies to strengthen the tourism demand from Germany to Greece, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels announced last month.

A group of leading Greek businessmen recently decided to take matters into their own hands and joined forces to promote full page advertisements in various European newspapers and invite Europeans to take a closer look at Greece’s path of reform to ensure its commitment to Europe.

“The new government formed not long ago is offering to turn the page and introduce modern and constructive perceptions,” according to the social intervention text signed last month by 62 Greek businessmen, including the president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), Andreas Andreadis.

Destination Thessaloniki is preparing a dynamic promotion and marketing campaign for 2012 with a new business plan and brand strategy, according to the northern city’s mayor and president of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, Yiannis Boutaris.

“It is very important for our country that we are participating for the first time in a consistent European initiative that aims to attract tourism to Europe,” Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis said last month after signing a memorandum of understanding to increase tourist flows between South America and Europe.

“Greece is expected to welcome some 200,000 Chinese tourists to Greece by 2015,” the president of the Hellenic-Chinese Union for Economical, Commercial and Cultural Communications, Lan Xiao Cheng, said last month during a briefing on attracting the Chinese market to Greece.