Trade Associations

Last month’s Hellenic Hotel Chamber elections resulted in a new board led by Gerasimos Fokas, reelected as president, and Vasilis Plevris and Dimitris Karalis as vice-presidents.

Creating a network of culture and tourism in the Mediterranean region is a focus of the EU’s Daedalus project presented last month by Agrotouristiki SA to tourism ministry staff and travel agency and hotel representatives. The three-year project, with a 2.5 million euro budget, will result in Internet portal that will link Mediterranean countries and provide information on cultural sites and the different products and services available. It is envisioned as a way of encouraging the development of mutually beneficial programs and activities among countries that will support tourism in the Mediterranean.

Government intends to introduce new legislation shortly that aims to cut huge chunks out of the country’s thick bureaucratic approvals process, said Tourism Minister Fani Palli-Petralia last month during her first press call since her appointment in February. She said the new legislation would help bring investment to the country’s tourism sector.

At the Association for Greek Tourist Enterprises’ assembly meeting last month, its president, Stavros Andreadis, pointed out that the ministry of tourism development’s role is not as clear as it could be to the public sector in general, and although “coordinated efforts are required for tourism policy to be effective, obstacles are still created by problems stemming from the past.” Prime Minister Karamanlis and Minister of Tourism Development Petralia addressed the assembly as well.

Attica hotel occupancy has increased 5 percent during the first quarter of this year as compared with last year said Giorgos Tsakiris, president of the Attica Hoteliers’ Association (EXA) at last month’s general assembly meeting. However, Mr. Tsakiris continued, room rates remain low. Prices dropped dramatically in 2005 because of the great number of new and refurbished hotels on the market without an increase in demand.

The first interregional plan for the development of religious tourism has been approved. It forms part of the EU’s Interreg III B program, implemented by Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta. The body responsible for the program here is the Greek National Tourism Organization, in association with the Church of Greece.

At the National Tourism Council meeting held last month, Tourism Minister Fani Palli-Petralia stated that the guiding principle for the ministry’s new leadership is “to develop and promote long-term tourism policy and a unified strategy” to improve the quality and range of tourism products offered and increase demand.

Yiannis Evangelou, president of the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies, announced that for the first time national and regional tourism councils are being established.

Because the construction of a golf course in Greece is more than difficult, and extremely time consuming, Greek government quarters have promised to create legislation that would cut deeply into the time and paperwork required for such construction projects.

Expansion and automation of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotel’s electronic services was approved under the Ministry of Economy’s Information Society program, said the chamber’s president, Gerasimos Fokas, at a meeting held with the tourism press corps last month in front of June 28 chamber elections.