MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions)

Some 90 journalists from home and abroad latched onto the opportunity to experience the rich history, culture and traditions of the island of Amorgos during last month’s 3rd International Convention of Culture & Tourism hosted by the island’s Aigialis hotel.

Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis, guest speaker at the recent general assembly of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, told guests that tourism stands at the forefront of government priorities. “Tourism brings us more revenue than the total of all our country’s exports,” he said. “Tourism gives life, riches and employment to our country’s regions (such as the islands and mountain areas) that lack other productive possibilities.”

The record number visitors to the Greek capital’s annual domestic tourism fair, Tourism Panorama, which was opened this year by Deputy Minister for Tourism Development Anastassios Liaskos, saw sleek presentations by a good number of the country’s regional prefectures.

For the first time in memory, Greece held its head high at a world travel exhibition and showed the world its capabilities. The Greek pavilion, with its avid colors, wide-open spaces, and design continuity, outshone its Mediterranean competitors, not only with its design but also with the record number of visitors.

Panorama celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and to commemorate the event organizers (the Kalofolias group of companies) have upgraded the fair with a new modern logo – still the sun and the sea but with a more modern mood – and have added new sectors to the “international” tourism fair with a “Panorama Tastes” area and with “Escape” accessories exhibitors.

If you have yet to make arrangements to attend the International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin, which runs from 11 to 15 March on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and in the ICC Berlin, the chances are you’ll be staying home.

Last month, during the 20-odd tourism exhibitions held across Europe, well over a million Europeans were among the first to view the new image of Greece.And at the recent Valantiebeurs fair held in Utrech, Holland, a survey during the same showed that the Dutch not only considered the new image a positive one, but also said they considered Greece a major choice for their vacation.

Luxury travel is an industry in its own right representing 3% of elite travelers worldwide who account for 20% of total annual travel expenditures. This segment of tourism is expanding at an increasing rate and shows no sign of slowing down.

This year’s Beijing International Tourism and Travel Market (BITTM), which takes place in Beijing April 20-23, is proving to be the premiere event of 2005 for world travel brands serious about increasing their market share from China.

This year’s Philoxenia tourism fair, the 20th, was another successful one according to its organizing body, Hel-expo. It announced increases in stand participation and increases in the number of visitors.