2024-02-20 06:15:43
Teleconference at the initiative of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce
At the initiative of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, a teleconference was held with the participation of the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Olgas Kefalogiannis, the Secretary General of the Greek Tax Agency, Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, the General Director of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ilias Spirtounias, the President of the Committee Tourism of the Chamber, Mr. Tim Ananiadis as well as the other members of the Committee.
The goal of the initiative was to confirm the positive climate as reflected in the recent trip of the Minister of Tourism to the USA, but also to define the initiatives that will lead to the further improvement of the relationship between Greece and the USA in the field of tourism.
“Top of mind” destination
Ms. Olga Kefalogianni noted that there is now a strategic plan to make Greece a “top of mind” destination for the citizens of North America, as the dynamics of this particular market are particularly important. He placed particular emphasis on opening up the Greek tourism market to the West Coast areas of the US, as until now the bulk of visitors to Greece come from the East Coast.
What he pointed out was the need for our country to invest more in cultural tourism and in soft forms of tourism, such as agritourism and gastronomic tourism, projecting and proposing a new perspective on Greece, beyond the sun and the sea, which will favors local communities and sustainability.
Reskilling and upskilling
In the positions of the members of the Commission, reference was made to the promotion of these forms of tourism, the need to accelerate investments in hotel units and the training and staffing of hotel employees in terms of reskilling and upskilling. Regarding this specific issue, the Minister of Tourism reminded that the training program with vouchers, financed by the Recovery Fund and concerning 18,000 workers in the tourism sector, is “running”.
The General Secretary of the EOT, Dimitris Fragakis, emphasized that the moment is right to intensify Greece’s presence in the North American markets and added that the Ministry of Tourism and the EOT are open to proposals and collaborations.
Both Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, as well as the members of the Tourism Committee, emphasized the positive development that has been achieved with the increase of direct flights from the USA to Athens, but also the maturation of the discussion about flights from the USA to Thessaloniki.
The prospects of the cruise were also discussed at length in the teleconference. Mr. Andreas Stylianopoulos, Founder of ViaNavigator noted that efforts are being made to make Piraeus a “home port” for cruise ships, as the benefits are multiple for the ports of departure.
In turn, the Minister of Tourism announced the Ministry’s intention to submit specific proposals regarding the cruise. The proposals will concern the quota, the imposition of fees and the berth allocation system. The aim of these initiatives is to decongest specific destinations while simultaneously increasing revenue.
Finally, Mrs. Olga Kefalogianni stated that thanks to the good cooperation with the Tourism Committee of the Hellenic-American Chamber, Greece can further penetrate the American market. To offer a high quality tourist product and experiences, encouraging visitors to discover new destinations apart from the popular ones while expanding the tourist season throughout the year.