MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions)

There were no unpleasant surprises at his year’s World Travel Market held in London last month. On the contrary, the tourism fair was again extremely well organized and and a pleasant experience for most. As well, it was a pleasant surprise to see a new, modern pavilion created by the Hellenic Tourism Organization.

Greece’s first conference on the meetings industry, organized last month by Kostas Konstantinidis of Heliotopos Conferences, welcomed some 140 delegates. Few of these, however, were hoteliers or regional authority leaders who could have gained valuable knowledge on a sector of the tourism industry that could serve them well.

Perhaps the best and most professional tourism conference ever organized in Athens was organized and superbly executed last month by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises. The conference not only started on time but also started without the usual barrage of empty speeches by politicians. As well, the conference hall remained full right up to the very last speaker.

Greece has been chosen as the honored country at this year’s World Travel Market, London, November 8-11, which celebrates its silver anniversary. On hand for the fair’s inauguration ceremonies as special guest will be Greece’s tourism development minister, Dimitris Avramopoulos.

This year’s Greek tourism fair Philoxenia, November 4-6, promises to be the biggest and best ever held, says its organizer, Helexpo. The 20th Philoxenia once again will be hosted by Thessaloniki International Fairgrounds.

Rural, conference, exhibition, athletic, religious and cultural tourism are the main ingredients for tourism development, according to speakers at the recent Negroponte Resort Eretria conference on “tourism as the key to strategic development under modern conditions.”

The World Conference on New Trends and Measures in the Hotel Industry, jointly organized by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the International Hotel and Restaurants Association (IH&RA), last month suggested a cautious, albeit systematic approach to hotel classification at world level with a view to reconciling the legitimate demands and concerns of consumers and industry with the obligations of governments.

This year’s Panorama, the ninth, which ran from April 22-25 at the Piraeus Port Authority Exhibition Center, was dedicated to the Athens-Attica area and the network of Olympic Cities. But like the tourism picture in general this year, Panorama left exhibitors and visitors with mixed feelings.

The world’s largest international travel fair, ITB Berlin, continues to break attendance records — the 121,000 visitors were some 10,000 more than last year — and exhibitor records. A total of 10,023 exhibitors from 178 countries and territories, representing every sector of the international tourism industry, attended ITB 2004.

The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) is not only about statistics, it is much more, providing concrete proof that tourism is one of the most important economic sectors and, thus, indispensable in today’s world.