World Report

By diversifying what it has to offer, Greece aims to boost arrivals to more than 19 million a year by 2010

Beyond the usual tourist spots, Greece is a country of rugged natural beauty

s an inexpensive sun-and-sea destination, Greece is a mass market success story, attracting around 13 million tourists annually. The majority fly directly to popular seaside resorts such as the islands of Crete, Corfu and Rhodes on package holidays. Most are from European countries, with Britain alone providing approximately three million visitors a year.

Tourism accounts for around 20 per cent of GDP, pulling in significant amounts of foreign exchange and providing one in six of all jobs. The Olympic Games will ensure that numbers peak this year. In the longer term the aim is to attract annual arrivals of over 19 million by 2010, and receipts of USD15 billion.

“Tourism has the potential to give a major thrust to the country’s economic development in the coming years,” says Professor Harry Coccossis (INTERVIEW), President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). “We are in the process of developing a 10-year strategy. The main objectives are to diversify, enrich and upgrade what we have to offer.”

Greece wants to change its image from one of low-budget mass tourism to one of high-quality and alternative tourism and to cater for a wider range of holidaymakers. The focus now is on providing new venues and facilities for adventure, cultural and sports activities. Agro tourism, eco-tourism, and health and spa tourism are also being promoted, together with the archaeological riches from Greece’s 3,000 years of history.

“The modern tourist doesn’t just go to the beach and stay for 15 days any more,” says Professor Coccossis. “People want to explore the hinterland and do different things. Demand is constantly changing and they have new expectations, which we are trying to meet.

Harry Coccossis
President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation
‘The modern tourist doesn’t just go to the beach anymore’

“There are a large number of thermal springs in Greece, so we are investing in this area as well. We are diversifying sea tourism by developing marinas and other facilities. There are 17 ski areas that are outside the common perception of Greece as a tourism destination, and there are magnificent opportunities for trekking, canoeing, kayaking and rafting. Our aim is to achieve our maximum potential.”

The sunny climate and natural beauty of Greece give it additional advantages as a destination for conference tourism. The development of new conference and exhibition centres is being given high priority, and hotels such as the Sofitel Capsis Hotel and Conference Centre and the Rodos Palace Hotel and Conference Centre on Rhodes have already made major investments in large-scale facilties.

By offering its visitors greater choice, as well as quality and value for money, Greece hopes to extend its appeal beyond the traditional holiday season and to attract people throughout the year.

Greece boasts many artefacts from its Byzantine and Classical periods

Thanks to modernisation of the basic infrastructure, such as airports and ports, several cities can now serve as entry points for international tourists. In addition to prompting the upgrading of transport facilities, the Olympics have encouraged substantial investment by the private sector in the development and modernisation of hotels in the islands and the other Olympic cities, as well as in Athens.

Further investment in the sector is being encouraged and made easier. “There is great interest from local authorities and independent entrepreneurs, so we have been developing the framework with guidelines and regulations for these activities and also to provide incentives,” says Professor Coccossis.

At the same time, the authorities are fully aware of the need to protect the country’s valuable natural heritage. “Greece is unique in the sense that it is a small country, but has a tremendous richness and variety, from mountains of extreme beauty to the islands and the coastal areas,” the Professor adds.

“We have to take good care of this natural and cultural heritage, and this is the basis of our strategy. We also have to respect it in order to develop tourism that is right for Greece in the sense that it fits with the character of each place. We are not selling the same thing from place to place. We have tremendous variety and great potential.”