World Report

The government has launched a major drive to boost quality and choice and increase the number of visitors

ritish holidaymakers are being urged to ‘Live Your Myth in Greece’ as part of a massive 60-million euro (£41 million) campaign in the wake of the Athens Olympics. The positive image of Greece conveyed during the Games is an advantage the authorities are eager to capitalise on.

The British, for whom Greece has long been a favourite holiday destination, are a prime target; more than 2.5 million of us visit the country every year. But tourists in Europe, the United States, Russia and China are also being targeted.

The campaign reflects a sea change in the Greek attitude towards tourism. Behind it lies a determination to create a modern, diversified, high quality tourist industry that can compete more effectively with its rivals in an increasingly competitive global market.

“In order to achieve viable growth we have to achieve better management of mass tourism and promote new forms of tourism,” says Harry Coccosis (INTERVIEW), Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). “We are aiming for a qualitative upgrade to enlarge and enrich the Greek tourism product.”

Greece currently receives around 13 million foreign visitors annually, with 85 percent of them coming from Britain and Germany. Tourism employs around 800,000 people and accounts for 18 percent of the gross national product. The government’s aim is to increase visitor numbers to 18 million within four years.

The favourable post-Olympic climate has given Greece the best opportunity it is likely to get for some time to sell itself as the ultimate holiday destination. Minister of Tourism Dimitris Avramopoulos believes this year will mark a turning point for the tourist industry, which he says is entering a new era.

The Minister expects tourism’s share of GDP to rise to 25 percent within five years and 35 percent within ten years. And the signs are promising. A public opinion research study carried out for the Athens 2004 Organising Committee after the Games showed two out of three respondents in the UK, the United States, Germany, France and Spain expressing a desire to visit Greece and placing it second only to Italy as their preferred Mediterranean destination.

“The Olympics have given us a head start and there has been considerable private investment in modernising accommodation, services and infrastructure,” says Mr Avramopoulos. “A lot has already been achieved. What needs to be done now is to modernise the way the sector operates, and a great deal of effort is being invested in that.”

Harry Coccosis
Secretary General of the GNTO

“We are aiming for a qualitative upgrade to enlarge and enrich Greek tourism”

Dimitris Avramopoulos
Minister of Tourism

“The Olympics have given us a head start and a lot has already been achieved”

A ten-year strategy is being developed aimed at diversifying and improving what Greece has to offer its visitors. The objective is to change the face of the industry, by promoting alternative forms of tourism and encouraging investment. A priority is to create attractions that will bring in visitors all year round. Currently, more than 50 percent of annual tourist arrivals in Greece are concentrated into just two months: July and August.

The strategy is expected to have a major impact within five years. Substantial amounts are being spent on training for people working in the industry, particularly in small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises. Cooperation between the government, local authorities and the private sector is being improved. “Our objective is to move ahead in an efficient, strategic manner, working with all the trade bodies involved,” says Professor Coccosis at the GNTO.

The strong euro has done nothing to help Greece’s competitiveness compared to rival destinations outside the eurozone such as Turkey. In these circumstances, Alexandros Angelopoulos, Executive Director of Aldemar Hotels, believes it is even more important for Greece to provide value for money. “The relation between price and quality must remain at the top of every hotelier’s list,” he says.

Visitors must also feel they have got value for the time they have spent in the country. “Travellers today are looking for experiences, not just holidays.”

New investment incentives introduced by the government are designed to attract interest in the sector both from foreign and Greek entrepreneurs. The transformation of the country’s infrastructure prior to the Olympics is enabling the authorities to promote Greece as a modern tourist destination with an outstanding natural environment and a unique historical and cultural heritage.

“We are trying to sell Greece as a place for investment because of the modernisation that has taken place,” says Mr Avramopoulos. “We already have a lot of interest in complex types of tourist investment such as spas, golf course facilities etc. This is the type of integrated development we are looking for.”

Action is being taken to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the processing of investment plans. “We intend to cut red tape and facilitate investment,” adds the minister. “It is important to create investment opportunities for the local and international business communities by simplifying procedures and developing incentives for top quality products.”