Trade Associations

The Culture and Tourism Ministry last month announced that the “Tourism for All” program would go ahead this year despite the severe financial difficulties of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).

The mission of the American-Hellenic Enterprise Initiative (AHEI), Vision 2020, is to develop and implement Greece-U.S. actions that further bi-national trade, investment, green energy solutions and tourism in connection with culture and entrepreneurship through the combined efforts of AHEI Partners, American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce President Yanos Gramatidis said recently.

Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos and his Turkish counterpart Ertugrul Gunay signed last month a joint declaration for coopera­tion in culture and tourism during the first meeting of the High-Level Greek-Turkish Council for Strategic Partnership. The meeting took place in Athens in the presence of the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey, Yiorgos Papandreou and Rejep Tayip Erdogan.

While a hard battle is fought throughout the world to recover Greek tourism, this move is at the least irresponsible, the Culture and Tourism Ministry recently said in regards to the takeover of the Acropolis by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE)-affiliated labor union PAME.

Illegal activities were found to allegedly have taken place at the Greek sustainable tourism organization, Agrotima, according to a recent report of the public administration inspectors’ agency. Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos has sent the file to the prosecutor.

Athens hotel revenue decreased by seven percent during the first quarter of 2010 with the average revenue per available room shaped at 49.46 euros, according to official statistics of the Athens-Attica Hoteliers Association in regards to hotel occupancy for the first quarter of the year.

Tourist arrivals have dropped 10 percent throughout Greece, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels Yiorgos Tsakiris said at a press conference in mid-May while presenting data gathered from the country’s hotelier associations.

The lifting of cabotage restrictions should take place immediately following a dialogue with all agencies involved until the end of May, Prime Minister Yiorgos Papandreou announced during the recent 18th general assembly of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).

The total outcome in regards to hotel bookings during this year’s Easter holiday did not satisfy Greek hoteliers but hasty conclusions should not be made in regards to the season’s final result, President of the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers Andreas Andreadis advised last month.

The Economy Ministry last month finalized amendments to the austerity tax bill introduced in March that included the revocation of the announced eight percent withholding tax on all service company invoices that exceed 300 euros.