Trade Associations

Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos recently announced the immediate transformation of the Xenia hotel in Argostoli (Kefallonia) into a boutique hotel and a modern conference center, which will run all-year round.

A new brochure entitled ‘Visiting Greece’ written by the European Consumer Center Greece and published by the development ministry is now available.

The Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises is to hold its seventh annual Tourism & Development Conference on 6-7 October.

Greece shows excellent prospects as a destination for conferences, corporate meetings and incentives: This conclusion was based on the results of the recent and first meeting of representatives from the Thessaloniki Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers, the Athens-Attica Hotel Association and the Athens Convention Bureau.

The tourism ministry has inaugurated a public discussion for the formation of the functional specifications and quality criteria arrangement plan for Greek tourist resorts, which will lead to a new categorization system for “stars” for hotels and “keys” for rooms to let.

Transport Minister Costis Hatzidakis recently expressed his intention to give taxi owners the opportunity to provide limo services, all of which caused a major uproar within the Greek Car Rental Companies Association.

Greek tourism once again enters a crisis period, as a series of negative factors form a new, difficult situation and lead to deep concern, said the chairman of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Gerasimos Fokas, at a press conference held recently.

Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos called a press conference recently and expressed his conclusions on Greek tourism and his optimism in regards to the current image Greece has within the sector.

Tourist spending appeared relatively low in Greece for 2007 when compared with 2004. According to a recent report released by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, the average spending of tourists per capita in 2004 was 882 euros. In 2007 this number dropped to 748 euros.

Andreas Andreadis, chairman of the of the Hellenic Hotels Federation, recently informed the Business & Travel show on “sbc” that a drop in arrivals is expected for 2009 as the tourism sector will be up against a difficult period until 2010, when the market will pick up its pace.