Greek Regions Preparing 2021 Tourism Promotional Campaigns

Greece’s regions are currently preparing their promotional actions for the 2021 tourism season, members of Greece’s Regional Tourism Council recently informed Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis.

During the council’s 11th meeting, which took place virtually, participating Greek vice-governors informed the minister that the tourism campaigns for next season will be largely based on online promotions through social media.

Established in 2019 by the Greek Tourism Ministry, the Regional Tourism Council’s members are governors and vice governors from the country’s 13 regions. The council’s aim is to focus on coordinating actions under a single tourism policy, exchange best practices, and resolve problems that the Greek regions face.

Speaking during the meeting, the tourism minister said that the ministry is working on ways to recover Greece’s loss of arrivals in 2020 due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

He also summarized the government’s initiatives to address the health crisis, underlining that “from the first days of the global Covid-19 epidemic, the Greek government worked intensively and in coordination. We mobilized all available forces, in the public and private sector, always putting the health of tourists and Greek citizens in absolute priority.”

Moreover, he informed that the government was extending the operation of the country’s quarantine hotels and also referred to the significance of Covid-19 testing.

“What matters the most now is a European-wide approach for Covid-19 testing. This process is moving fast and we will intensify our efforts during the winter,” he said.

Minister Theoharis also spoke about Samos and the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that recently hit the island and committed to support the recovery efforts of the island’s tourism professionals.

Collaboration is key

Meanwhile, Secretary General for Tourism Policy Vicky Loizou said it was significant for the Tourism Ministry to cooperate with Greece’s regional authorities in order to promote thematic forms of travel such as mountain tourism as well as gastronomy, cycling and marine tourism.

“Collaboration is key in designing programs for the new National Strategic Reference Framework and the EU Recovery Fund,” she said.