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Nine Greek coasts, winners of the ‘Blue Flags’ international program for environmental education, information and awareness were dropped last month from the 2010 list and lost their award.

A special program to begin in Thessaloniki whereby each year a different country or region would be in the center of attention in regards to tourism and cultural issues was presented last month by Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos.

The Organization for Rhodian Tourism Promotion (PROTOUR) recently announced it would follow the example of international destinations and attempt to develop health tourism on the island and form a lucrative new source of revenue for Rodos.

“Athens has managed to be included among the top 20 conference destinations of the world but, from this point on, the Greek capital needs substantial assistance and significant support from the central government,” Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis told GTP last month.

“We aim to increase the number of Chinese visitors to Greece in the coming years and for this purpose actions have already been made to simplify the process for Chinese citizens to obtain a visa to travel to Greece,” Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos said while inaugurating the Greek Tourism Week event in Shanghai, China, on 27 August.

The challenge of adding tourism to the Greek government’s development priorities will be analyzed at the ninth annual tourism and development conference of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) scheduled for 18-19 October.

Greece has tourism parameters that Turkey cannot compete with, Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos told the Israeli press last month during an official visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, aimed at attracting Israeli tourists to Greece.

On 25 August the draft bill for the lifting of cabotage restrictions, drawn up by the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry, was signed into law. Non-European Union-flag cruise ships would now be permitted to homeport in Greece, under certain conditions.

The exclusion of Athens city center hotels from suggested athlete accommodation would be a tombstone for Athens tourism, the Athens-Attica Hoteliers Association stressed last month in a letter to Joanna Despotopoulou, president of the Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011 Organizing Committee.

Greek Prime Minister Yiorgos Papandreou and his visiting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu agreed last month to form a joint committee to strengthen ties between the two countries.