Key Tourism Figures 2017: Evridiki Kourneta, Secretary General Tourism Ministry

Official Tourism Message

With a strong global presence followed by several international distinctions, Greece sets an example of success as a top destination that meets the expectations of today’s travelers, even the most demanding, offering authentic travel experiences and high-quality accommodation and services, with the utmost respect to the environment.

Tourism is a sector of high government priority. This new era of dynamic growth has come as the result of our national tourism policy being implemented since 2015, and is reflected in the continuous increase in international arrivals, high occupancy throughout the year and increased investment in high-quality tourism infrastructure.

Greece is enhancing its global presence and role as a leading tourism destination, having been recently elected for the first time as a member of the Executive Board of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the period 2018-2021. Representing Greece, the Ministry of Tourism chaired the OECD’s (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) High-Level Tourism Committee Meeting on sustainable and inclusive growth, held in October 2017 in Paris.

At the Ministry of Tourism, we have been investing in extroversion and growth over the past two years, and to this end we have pursued intensively new and strong strategic partnerships with traditional and new tourism markets and emerging economies.

The brand name ‘Greece’ currently represents the most attractive and highly competitive tourism product to invest in, within the wider Mediterranean region and Europe.

We promote entrepreneurship. We develop new thematic tourism products as an integral part of the whole experience that Greece offers as a top travel destination. We encourage new projects in tourism infrastructure, we develop the cruise sector and we seek to increase connectivity between the islands with new investments such as a water airports network and hydroplanes.

We lay the foundations for the long-term development of Greek tourism. We introduce new technologies, reorganize executive structures with new organizational charts and have codified the tourism legislation.

Our decision to reopen the School of Tourist Guides is the beginning of a whole comprehensive reform and upgrading of public tourism education that we will complete, aiming to provide all the necessary skills and qualifications to young people to enter the Greek tourism industry.

Greece is moving ahead.

The upward course of Greek tourism continues. We work jointly to enhance Greece’s standing and principal role, in the higher ranks of global tourism.