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This year’s tourism exhibition Philoxenia 2001, November 1 to 4, will host an international conference on Ecotourism entitled: “The International Experience and the Case of Greece.”

In its heyday it was called Ceres Flying Dolphins, when purchased by Minoan it was Minoan Flying Dolphins, now that the tables have turned downward, the name of Greece’s biggest hydrofoil fleet has been changed to Hellas Flying Dolphins.

Work has started on what is proposed to be the biggest and most modern golf course in Greece, the Crete Golf Club. The 18-hole course of 6,400 yards (720 stremma), just 20 kilometers from Heraklion’s international airport, will be built on Par 72 Championship standard. The unit will boast two driving ranges and a state-of-the-art Golf Academy, complete with practice putting greens and a ‘short game’ practice area.

The construction of eight modern vessels is proceeding without any delays, said Crete-based ferry operator Minoan Lines last month after press reports implied the company was in financial difficulties.

The Association of British Travel Agent’s (ABTA) recent congress on Kos gave delegates some tasty food for thought. During the four-day event, which was perhaps the best-organized event ever held in Greece, up-market speakers attempted to foresee the future regarding travel and the Internet.

Some 20 new hotels with a total capacity of some 5.000 beds and costing an estimated 100 billion drachmas are expected to be built in Attica over the years leading up to the 2004 Olympics, Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis said last month.

Greek Merchant Marine Minister Christos Papoutsis last month took the first major step for the deregulation of the domestic passenger-shipping sector. With the issuance of new exploitation permits for island routes, the ministry breaks up the near-monopoly some larger ferry lines have held on domestic shipping routes. “No one has the privilege of exclusive operating rights,” he said.

Olympic Airways will relocate to the new airport at Spata come March next year following approval from the European Commission for the diversion of funds intended for plane purchases.

Piraeus-based CTS (Coastal Transportation Services), which is a member of the a Piraeus Bank Group, will soon provide a complete pioneering system for the settlement of sales through agents in coastal transportation and other tourism services.

During opening ceremonies, Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis declared that a total of 596.2 billion drachmas in financing from the EU’s Third Structural Fund would be funnelled into the industry between now and 2006.