People

POET would like to extend a warm welcome to all visitors and exhibitors at this years’ Philoxenia exhibition, which has seen increasing improvement and enrichment over the past few years.

It is well known that tourism in Greece is an important sector to the economy as well as to society in general. In the global scene as well, Greek tourism holds a strong position. Considering the small size of Greece compared with our competitors, our country’s 12th position in the world, in terms of tourism receipts (according to the UNWTO), points out the existence of a unique and attractive core tourism product.

We salute the top tourism exhibition in Greece that substantially reinforces, for a second-year-running, the institution of predetermined meetings between exhibitors and selected tourism professionals from abroad (hosted buyers). With the end of the summer season comes a breeze of optimism for Greek tourism and all the evidence indicates an increase for yet another year.

Philoxenia, just as all of the world’s tourism exhibitions and shows, consists of a very important tool for professionals in tourism.

I would like to wish this year’s Philoxenia every success and a wider participation of foreign visitors and exhibitors so as to succeed one day in becoming the meeting epicenter of foreign exhibitors, with increased participation of decision makers from our most significant incoming tourism markets.

One of the fundamental aims of the management at Helexpo, when we undertook this responsibility three and a half years ago, was the reinforcement of the professional character and internationalization of sector-based exhibitions and the national exhibition body.

The September election result brought New Democracy to power for a second term running, and was followed by changes in the structure of ministries as well as the allocation of new ministers in several positions.

The Hellenic Association of Airline Representatives elected recently, during its annual assembly, a new board of directors. Anastasios Stylianopoulos will act as president, Dino Frantzeskaki as vice president, Margarita Zabeli as general secretary and Maria Theofanopoulos as treasurer.

Giorgos Zermas recently assumed the position of commercial director for Greece and Cyprus at Delta Airlines.

Giorgos Baliouskas recently became the new commercial manager for Amadeus in Greece and Cyprus.