SETE: Tourism is at the Forefront to Support Greece

“Speaking on behalf of the whole tourism sector, I assure you that tourism remains at the forefront to support the country”, the president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Andreas Andreadis, said on Thursday during the 23rd annual general assembly of SETE in Athens.

“Tourism will not surrender but continue to work hard to preserve the jobs it has created, to support the state’s revenue, to increase the quality of offered services and to climb even higher in the world rankings of competitiveness”, Mr. Andreadis said during his speech.

Unfair VAT hike will hurt tourism sector

SETE’s president underlined that the tourism sector will support the government in its effort to achieve the best possible agreement with the country’s creditors.

However, he warned that tourism will slip into recession and unemployment if the “unreasonable demand” of the country’s lenders for Greece to increase the value-added tax (VAT) to a rate higher than the levels of competitor countries is applied.

“Millions of tourists will immediately choose to travel to competitor countries that offer a cheaper product and we will see tens of thousands of jobs lost and businesses closed down”, he said.

Mr. Andreadis repeated the request of the heads of the country’s tourism sector associations who are calling for a single VAT rate of 10 percent charged on the whole Greek tourism package (accommodation and food services).

Initiatives

During his speech, Mr. Andreadis announced SETE’s initiatives which are aimed at boosting the Greek tourism product.

Firstly, SETE has decided to fight back against illegal tourism accommodation in Greece.

As of June 1, a specialized company assigned by SETE will carry out electronic checks to tourism accommodation that is illegally rented out for the short-term. The data collected will be delivered to the country’s tourism and tax authorities for penalties to be imposed.

“We will cover the whole country and demand the punishment of all those who not only break the law, but also discredit the honest tourism entrepreneurs”, he said.

SETE’s president then referred to improving the country’s tourism product by creating a Greek All Inclusive package that will include taverns, shops and bars of the local communities.

Mr. Andreadis also announced an initiative that sees the joint tourism cooperation among the southern countries of Europe.

“The time has come for all of South Europe to become active”, he said.

SETE has already contacted the relevant tourist boards of European Mediterranean countries to create a joint tourism platform that can gain momentum on EU decisions.

Details on the project will be announced at SETE’s conference in October.

“Our goal is to prove to the European North that the European South is just as strong (tourism-wise)”, he said.