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Aspiring investors in Greece’s tourism industry will at last be able to plan their schemes with much greater certainty, as a result of the first ever investment charter, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told the full house of tourism delegates recently.

According to the World Travel Trends Report 2006-07 the low-cost / no frill phenomenon is a major factor dictating how countries perform as leisure tourism destinations. And with the expansion of low cost airlines set to continue in 2007-08 city-break style holidays will continue to stimulate tourism between European cities.

Tourist arrivals from the USA to Greece are expected to rise further this year, boosted by the addition of flights to and from Athens by two major American carriers, Continental and US Airways, an Athens International Airport official told a recent conference held in Athens.

The European Commission proposed a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea. This unique ecosystem, it said, is deteriorating as environmental pressures such as pollution and construction increase.

The eagerly awaited first special zoning plan concerning renewable energy sources (RES) has been handed in for consultation and is expected to be tabled in parliament in April.

Not too long ago, government said that a law would be implemented to encourage the construction of golf courses in Greece.

From 18 to 21 May 2007 the first international exhibition on tourist property and holiday homes, “Tourism & Property 2007,” will open its doors at the Hellenikon exhibition space (the former Athens East Airport). This is the first such tourist real estate exhibition to be held in Greece.

ITB Berlin, which takes place from 7 to 11 March 2007, expects this year’s fair to top even the successful 2006 fair. “Compared with last year the number of applications received for the ITB Berlin 2007 remains at a high level,” according to the director of the ITB, David Ruetz. “In its 41st year the leading trade show for the international travel industry continues to provide a concentrated display of the current trends in this sector from all over the world, and is still attracting new exhibitors.”

A recent decision by the ministers of merchant marine and health and social services places “rural” doctors on a number of Greek ferry vessels. The doctors’ wages will be paid by the ministry of merchant marine, which has set aside a budget of 696,000 euros to cover expenses for 2007. Under the program, shipowners are obliged to provide each doctor with a private cabin and meals.

The Piraeus Port Authority says it expects to attract some 300 million euros in private investment funds when it allows the private sector, through a tender, to renovate and take over the management of its passenger harbor properties. The port regions open to renovation include from the Pagoda area on the Miaouli Coast to the Krakari sea wall. According to press reports, the port authority bases its expectations on a study carried out by the Bank of Piraeus, which suggests a one and only tender competition for the renovation of the harbor front from a contractor or consortium that will manage the area.