Trade Associations

The Acropolis Rally will be placed under the auspices of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, according to an announcement made by Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis during a press conference organized for the rally at the New Acropolis Museum in late December 2010.

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.

“What the article reports is not groundless and most of what is mentioned is true but it concerns a Greece that is changing,” Deputy Culture and Tourism Ministry George Nikitiadis told the Greek press in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that focused on the labyrinth of bureaucratic obstacles that tourism investments, specifically golf courses and resorts, are up against in Greece.

The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels will establish branches in key Greek tourism destinations this year to support the new local government structures introduced by the Kallikratis scheme, the chamber’s president, Yiorgos Tsakiris, announced last month during the annual pita cutting ceremony.

Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis recently announced that legislation on alternative forms of tourism should be completed this year and expressed his hope that 2011 would be the development year for Greek tourism.

The final report on the Greek National Tourism Organization’s (GNTO) functioning for the years 2008 and 2009, investigated by the Court of Audit, has been turned over to an Athens appeals prosecutor.

The new development law -effective as of 1 January 2011- lacks sectoral policy and will not benefit the tourism sector, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels said last month in an announcement to the relevant ministries.

A draft bill that will simplify procedures of Greek tourism investments will be promoted by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos said last month.

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.”