Improving infrastructure and transitioning to cleaner energy, both for the tourism industry as a whole and the passenger shipping sector, are the strategic priorities that will determine the future of tourism in Greece, participants in the 2nd “Reimagine Tourism in Greece” conference noted this week.
The summit is an initiative by Greek newspaper Kathimerini and its partners.
In a discussion with Kathimerini’s Executive Editor, Alexis Papachelas, on the theme of “Tourism as a Strategic Priority for Greece,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis admitted that some projects are lagging behind.
However, he said Greece is not affected by overtourism at present.
“Our great aim is to extend the tourist period, so that not all (visitors) arrive in July and August, and to expand tourism to regions where it is not as widespread,” the Prime Minister said. He did note that “Greece does not have and will not have an overtourism problem. If we compare Greece with Spain or (the island of) Crete with Majorca, Greece is in better shape.”
“What interests me more is to break revenue records. We want visitors to spend more, but we do not want this increased spending to hurt our competitiveness,” the Prime Minister added.
“Tourism, by its very nature, can potentially affect the whole country and help with regional development,” said Mr Mitsotakis. “I would like the infrastructure in our islands to be better 10 years from now.”
The Prime Minister also revealed that he plans to create, in partnership with the private sector, a top-ranked tourism professional school in Greece so that “we can convince that a career in tourism can be creative and lucrative.”
