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If the increase of port charges are passed on to the consumer, cruise passengers would most likely cancel their bookings and prefer other locations because the Greek product will have become too expensive, according to the General Pan-Hellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (GEPOET).

The Cultural Coast of Piraeus project aims to highlight the comparative advantages of Piraeus so the city can once again become a reference point rather than simply a point of transit as it is considered today, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The development of school tourism to Greek students and students of abroad through the promotion of Greece as a student destination with attractive package offers, was recently the topic of discussion between the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA), the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs.

“A new era begins for Greek tourism and cruise in our country with the arrival of 2011,” Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis said last month after welcoming the Panama-flag cruise ship Fantasia to Rodos. Fantasia was the first cruiseship to approach Rodos Port in 2011.

Travel professionals said last month that Greeks and foreign visitors did not opt to spend their holidays in the Greek capital. According to the Athens-Attica Hotel Association, Athens recorded low bookings last December due to “the complete absence of a festive climate.”

The Tourism Development Company (ETA) last month announced an open tender for the six-year leasing of the refectory of the former border station in Promachona.

“We will continue to invest in our online development tools, our e-commerce solutions in order to help our customers diversify and grow their online business,” Amadeus Hellas’ CEO Eva Karamanou recently told GTP during the “Brighter, Bolder, Better e-Commerce” forum by global distribution system provider Amadeus that took place in Sophia Antipolis, France.

Thessaloniki recorded the most losses in foreign arrivals and turnover during the first ten months of 2010, Aristotelis Thomopoulos, president of the Hotel Association of Thessaloniki, said recently.

“A city adds value to the professional and the creator depending on the strength of its identity and Thessaloniki must obtain a strong identity,” Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos said during an international culture and tourism forum held recently in Thessaloniki by the local Makedonia Media Group.

The year 2011 will find Greek tourism with improved arrivals and overnights and also an increase in revenue, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis said at the 3rd European Tourism Conference in late November 2011 in Thessaloniki.