Kountoura: Greek Tourism on Track Despite Challenges

Greek Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

Despite this year’s difficulties and challenges due to the geopolitical developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region and unpleasant events in Europe and neighboring countries, Greece’s tourist numbers are showing a positive trend, according to Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

While delivering her keynote speech during an event held by the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki on Saturday, Minister Kountoura referred to the increase of tourist arrivals from the opening of new markets, which “has been a strategic choice of the ministry since 2015 and has immediately produced positive results within one year.”

She also presented the legislative work carried out by the ministry to solve key and lingering problems of individual sectors of the Greek tourism market.

The minister made particular reference to the entrepreneurship support and upgrading of the Greek tourism product through the National Strategic Reference Framework (ESPA) programme for the 2014-2020 period, the INTERREG cross-border programmes and new tourism investments that are currently in licensing stages.

“Our goal is to create the conditions for the quantitative and qualitative growth of Greek tourism and urge the tourism market to explore the positive prospects of business activity that will bring benefits to local economies, local communities and to our national development,” Ms. Kountoura said.

“From every market we open and with each new tourism destination we develop, we create direct and steady revenue,” she said and underlined the important role the chambers and the representatives of the production sectors play in the national effort for the development of tourism.

The chamber’s event took place on the sidelines of the 81st Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).