Among other things, the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, spoke about the course of tourism in our country during the conference “Greece Talks, the Role of Tourism in the Future of Greece”, organised at the Stavros Niarchos Culture Center, Travel.gr, a travel site with the most traffic in Greece, and Proto Thema.
Specifically, he said that tourism is a need for people to travel, noting that the unique experiences of Greek tourism are our differentiating element. Referring to the war conflicts in the wider geopolitical neighbourhood, the war in Ukraine did not affect Greek tourism, and the same will happen with the flare-up of conflicts in the Middle East.
“It is wrong to count only the number of visitors; what counts is the financial footprint,” he said, pointing out that we should not relax.
As Mitsotakis said, it is important that each visitor who comes to the country spends more in our country. The prime minister stressed that Greek tourism should meet the highest levels of sustainability.
“I insist very much that we should be very concerned about our product’s competitiveness,” he emphasised.
Afterwards, Mitsotakis said, “We are not alone in this world, and we should be concerned with competitiveness in all aspects of tourism. However, it is a strategic choice to aim for the high product”. At the same time, he noted that it is important that the most attractive destinations become accessible earlier and earlier. Not many people come primarily for the culture, and this is untapped capital,” he said.
Specifically, Mitsotakis referred to winter tourism, saying that it is a huge capital that remains untapped. Recalling his recent trip to China, he said it is important to follow the same example as the US in China and India with daily flights, and our country should invest in it.
“There will be many opportunities; we are concerned with competitiveness and sustainability “, he emphasised. This means, of course, he emphasised that this also means cooperation in the small ones, “showing” the local government as well.
The prime minister then made a special reference to the collective effort for tourism, saying that it only leads the tourist to stay inside a hotel unit with the participation of the local community and, of course, employment.
Mitsotakis also referred to the utilisation of existing building facilities, saying that the example of Costa Navarino, with such a large area, is challenging to exist again. At the same time, he also spoke about destinations such as Epirus, saying that the destination does not necessarily have to be big.
“When we included Zagori in UNESCO, we didn’t imagine that we would build Costa Navarino there, but small hotel units that the region can support, just like in the islands,” stressed Mr. Mitsotakis.
With reference to the islands, the Prime Minister talked about the efforts that have been made for the greening of the islands, infrastructure, transportation, garbage and other examples of management.
“It goes without saying that society must look for electrification, but the most important thing is to listen to the market and investors as a government. They will not always be right, but we are in touch with the market, and we are listening,” he stressed.
The premier continued by saying that the investors choose destinations to cooperate with the local community. Referring to air transport, he gave the example of the Kalamata airport while also talking about the Heraklion airport, saying that significant work still needs to be done.
Mitsotakis: Few believed in the Greek top at the beginning; now, it will be one of Greece’s “showcases.”
Few believed the Greek top as an idea at the beginning, said the prime minister, and he emphasised that it took a lot of persistence, saying that the government succeeded in transforming it as an implementation project.
“Beyond its development contribution, Ellinikon will be one of the showcases of the new Greece we envision,” the Mitsotakis stressed.
“Ellinikon is an open city; it is not a closed community that concerns only those who live there”, he said and added that it concerns everyone because it is the beaches and the services that will be provided for everyone. It will be a city that comes from the future.
“GDP and investments will be the final product that will add to the overall change of the country’s brand,” he emphasised and added that from political stability to economic development, they are what push investors to come to Greece.
“One challenge is not only for foreign brands to come to Greece, but to manage to export our own product as well; we are not lacking in anything. It doesn’t mean we don’t have a tourism education of the quality of the services we provide,” he emphasised.
Source: Greek City Times