Following her successful speech at the 96th Propeller Club event in Athens, we bring you here below in free translation the speech of Olympia Anastasopoulou, Greece’s Secretary-General of Tourism Policy and Development, Ministry of Tourism held at Greece’s stand at the WTM 2022 in London’s ExCel and we also include at the end the Greek text*
Dear Ladies, Dear Gentlemen,
First of all, special thanks to Naftemporiki for the invitation, a newspaper that since 1924 has been a pioneer in international collaborations, first in circulation and readership among the financial newspapers of Greece, awarded with the Grand Ermis and Ermis Gold in the Best category Media Site , while offering its subscribers more than 30 special ( B 2 B ) editions a year. A newspaper known for its seriousness and creditworthiness, which sets the bar high when it comes to news and in-depth analysis of events.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Spyros Ktenas, Naftemporikis’ General Manager and his colleagues, every success in their new venture, the English-language special edition ” Treasures of Greek Tourism “, as well as their debut participation in this year’s World Travel Market London 2022.
Dear friends,
I am delighted and honored to be with you today at EOT’s new and modern stand which contains important innovations and is more functional for both visitors and exhibitors.
Innovation, sustainability and an emphasis on digital media are the main pillars of our strategy which are also reflected in the new architecture of the stands.
We are moving forward, renewing and intensifying our efforts, not only for 2023, but also for the next day of Greece’s tourism in its entirety.
As you know, tourism was a source of optimism for the future of the Greek economy during the difficult years of the memorandums imposed, while it is now also the vehicle of recovery for the high and lasting development course of our country, in order to create lasting prosperity both for our nation and its citizens.
In particular, tourism, the dynamic recovery of which this year may move to levels higher than those of 2019, creates expectations for higher growth than expected, as based on estimates of its secondary, indirect benefits in other sectors of the economy, and same is calculated to create in 2022 up to 52.89 billion for the gross domestic product, provided of course that no extraordinary events with adverse influence arise.
These estimates are embraced by large foreign banking entities, such as HSBC and Bank of America , with the former upgrading its forecast for Greek growth this year to 6.5% from 4% previously and the latter also talking about a significant positive effect.
It is also worth noting that a research by Grant Thornton and the Hotel Chamber of Greece shows that the benefits of tourism spread to 17 branches of economic activity and 9 sectors of the Greek economy, including the primary one.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The imprint of the need for a new model of sustainable tourism, which will follows the principles set by the World Tourism Organization, ” travel , enjoy , respect ” but also support that, same will rely on and support human life at the same time, it is here to stay.
The effects of Sars Cov 2 in the travel industry, have now clearly shown that a national policy for tourism must necessarily combine:
a) Services and procedures, which respect the country’s unique natural wealth and local identity, throughout the travel experience.
b) Attracting responsible visitors at a steadily increasing rate, including the bearing capacity of destinations.
Sustainable tourism is not only a need for the planet and our country, it is also the basic condition in order to benefit from the funds of the European Recovery and Resilience Funds.
And to be clear, as policymakers, we consider tourism a strategic sector that can attract long-term foreign investment, stimulate employment and promote the country’s regional development.
For the government, this sector is at the center of development, innovation, and extroversion.
As the main objectives of the national tourism policy, we have set the lengthening of the tourist season, the improvement of the competitiveness, quality, authenticity and durability of the tourist product and, at the same time, the strengthening of tourist investments with a low environmental footprint.
Our priority is a systemic shift towards a more sustainable tourism economy that works both for society and the environment. To this end we have a strong starting base, as Greece is ranked 25th out of 140 countries in the 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum ( WEF ).
Also, on individual indicators, Greece is ranked 13th for its health and hygiene, 18th for air transport infrastructure and 18th for its tourism service infrastructure.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are critical to the recovery leading to greener, more inclusive economies and stronger, more resilient societies.
We now have the opportunity to accelerate sustainable development and that is why the central will of the Ministry of Tourism is to gradually comply with the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda, integrating them into the national tourism policy and establishing a national evaluation system to monitor the progress of its implementation…
Specifically, the wide range of interventions to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of tourism includes the creation of Destination Management and Promotion Organizations ( DMMOs ) in World Class Greek Tourism Destinations as pilot programs, the improvement of licensing, certification and start-up operations for tourism businesses and infrastructure related to tourism of special interest, as well as improving data management.
Dear friends,
According to international surveys, the pandemic brought about a radical transformation in the code of modern values. As a result, a new landscape is emerging in global tourism, with a new type of traveler taking center stage.
Large sizes are put aside, the modern tourist returns to the concepts of measure and balance. After the experience of Covid, values such as safety, health, overall well-being, proper nutrition, protection of the planet are strengthened more and projected as imperative needs.
For tourism data, the above translates to: more and more travelers will be looking new destinations, non-massive, alternative, which will respect the balance with the environment and have high-quality hospitality infrastructure, whilst offering the traveler a sense of security, without depriving him of the magic of travel.
After all, the trend that is emerging as absolutely dominant for the coming years is the search for destinations that can offer their visitors unique, authentic and experiential experiences.
The experience economy, which had already appeared dynamically in the international tourism scene, will be the spearhead in the coming years.
Taking into account these new, international trends, as well as the various studies and researches of Greek and International institutes and agencies, the course of Greek tourism presupposes targeted development through a methodical, substantial, innovative, digital and environmentally friendly design in a framework of sustainability and resilience.
The 5 axes for the development of Greek tourism mainly concern the following fields:
– The improvement and development of public – mainly- infrastructures
– The upgrading, innovation and promotion of the tourist product
– The digital upgrade and transformation of the tourism ecosystem
– Environmental protection and sustainability, as well
– The strengthening of skills and the development of entrepreneurship.
At the same time, the Greek State thoroughly examines various megatrends such as hypertourism, the sharing economy, social and demographic changes, emerging destinations, security and crisis management.
In Greece the traveler can enjoy various experiences in a truly holistic way, inscribed in his body, soul and mind. One could say that the ancient Greek lifestyle is returning as a modern demand of the new age.
This is how we take advantage of the trend of Millennials , a very dynamic audience, to record special, unique travel experiences, as well as the new culture of remote work ( remote working ), the evolution of which seems to be “digital nomadism” ( digital nomads ).
It is noted that Greek tourism, while being asked to align its model with the digital operation and the ecological model, has, in addition to a government that is constantly modernizing the state, various additional supplies, such as:
– The Greek brand is in the top five worldwide,
– has a wide spread in its markets,
– it moves within the incomparable natural and cultural landscape of our country, the exploitation of which constitutes a unique comparative advantage.
So, we do not lack policies, nor resources. It is also known that the National Recovery Plan directs huge funds towards the digital and green transformation of businesses, while the credits from the new NSRF are also important, with the same goal.
Ultimately, it is up to us to take advantage of this powerful financial lever to take and make the great leap into the future, as the Prime Minister recently mentioned, so that we achieve (a) reducing our environmental footprint, (b) addressing of “hyper-tourism” with new infrastructures and intelligent flow management, (c) sustainable practices which will also concern local communities and of course (d) the creation of alternative destinations for all the 12 months of the year.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the coming years, we will all be called upon to adapt to modern needs and new priorities. At the Ministry of Tourism we believe that with synergies and partnerships we have the ability to shape the agenda for the true transformation of tourism and the transition to the next day.
So let’s focus on everything that makes us optimistic for a better future. Provided, however, that we have done our best in the present.
Thank you.
The text of her speech in Greek:
