Alternative holidays and Ecotourism are a bet for Greece: “Tourists are abandoning the sunbeds”

“Tourists seem more determined to make the most of their precious holiday time (…) now wanting to explore the culture, cuisine and nature of a destination”

 

Greek Tourism Minister Ms Olga Kefalogianni promises to upgrade infrastructure and skills in Greek Tourism – British tourists don’t just want sun and sunbeds, according to a WTM survey

With the climate crisis already taking its toll on top tourist destinations, the extension of the tourist season seems a natural consequence. Although the Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni did not want to connect the two phenomena, at the London International Tourism Exhibition (WTM London 2023) which takes place until November 8, she nevertheless emphasized that “it is a matter that concerns the government”.

So he invited British tourists to visit less popular tourist destinations in Greece and even outside the “usual” tourist season. The aim is to capitalize on the country’s efforts to promote alternative holidays, with the modernization of ski resorts and diving destinations.

Reference was also made to this summer’s devastating fires. Olga Kefalogianni argued that “Greece emerged as a model of successful management in Rhodes” while admitting that “similar crises will exist, but the country now has the know-how to overcome them successfully”.

The report published by WTM organizers in collaboration with Oxford Economics is typical. “Tourists abandon sunbathing and sunbeds for new experiences” is the title of the research, which, among other things, observes that “climate change plays an increasingly important role in tourists’ decisions regarding duration, season and destination”. .

Juliet Losardo, director of the exhibition (WTM London), said that “tourists seem more determined to make the most of their precious holiday time (…) now wanting to explore the culture, cuisine and nature of a destination”.

The general secretary of the EOT, Dimitris Fragakis, was also present at the exhibition, who expressed his optimism for “the resilience of Greek tourism, which offers both cheap and expensive destinations”. It is indicative that for the period January – August 2023, arrivals from abroad increased by 18.4%, compared to the corresponding period last year, according to the official data of the Bank of Greece.

In the press conference given by the Greek Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, she set four main pillars of the ministry’s strategy. Among them, the sustainability of tourism, the extension of the tourist season, the training of the workforce and the upgrading of tourist infrastructures were prominent.

The key word was sustainability. Mrs Kefalogianni promised that “the next day of tourism for Greece will focus on people and local communities, as we are interested in them having opportunities for income, income, but also new jobs”.

A key challenge for the country is both the protection of the natural environment and the safeguarding of social cohesion in a rapid tourism development, which can become sweeping when it focuses only on strengthening economic activity.

In view of these challenges and the possible phenomena of ill-gotten gains, the minister expressed her opinion that “Greece remains a value for money destination” while the ministry pledged to make the maximum effort to comply with legality.

Source: SKAI – Zoe Katzagiannakis, London