connect with us
Greece's latest tourism industry news by Greek Travel Pages (gtp)

International Investor Sees Tourism As Greece’s Only Economic Engine

The Greek economy can advance and prosper in the international environment only if it develops itself to cater to up-market tourism and wealthy foreigners wishing to acquire holiday homes, said well-known investor and American fund manager, George Soros, during a recent visit to...

EU Agrees to Share Air Passenger Information with USA

The European Union (EU) will sign a long-debated air passenger data transfer agreement with the United States despite opposition from the European Parliament (EP), said Jonathan Todd, a spokesman from the European Commission (EC), late last month.

EU Enlargement Creates Coherent European Tourism Industry

The enlargement of the European Union, with ten new members joining in May, will help create a "more complete and coherent European tourism industry, which should be recognized in the future European Constitution," according to the World Tourism Organization.

CSA and Korean Air Sign Code-share Agreement

Korean Air, a SkyTeam alliance member, begins flying between Prague and Seoul, South Korea, as of May 22 with Czech Airlines as its code-share partner. The Czech flag carrier will offer its passengers flights to Seoul and will also be the general agent for cargo.

Air France-KLM Merger Approved

Competition commissons in both the European Union and America last month approved the proposed merger between Air France and Holland's KLM airlines. With this approval of the carrier's de facto takeover by Air France, KLM's life as an independent airline comes to an end.

Tourism Arrivals down Slightly in 2003

Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said Greece has begun a "communication blitz" for Greek tourism promotion abroad in 2004, planning to expand beyond Europe after January. Meanwhile, employees of the Hellenic Tourism Organization are meeting to decide on possible...

Air France-KLM Deal Just the Beginning

Air France's planned takeover of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which would create Europe's largest airline, may just be the beginning of a trend as airline carriers look to ways to cooperate and cut costs after two years of extensive losses.

Tourism Resolution For New EU Constitution

European parliamentarian Kostas Hatzidakis recently put forth a resolution for tourism to be included in the European Union's new constitution. The resolution was adopted by the European Parliament Committee for Regional Policy, Transportation and Tourism.

New Transportation Business Plan Announced

Government last month announced the approval of a new "Railway-Airport-Public Transport" business plan worth almost 3 billion euros. The lion's share of the funds, some 2 billion euros, goes to modernizing Greece's rail network, particularly the Athens-Thessaloniki and...

Olympic Saga to Finish This Fall

One way or another, the government here says a permanent solution to long-lasting problems with state-owned Olympic Airways will be found and implemented before this winter rolls in. So far, according to a business plan leaked to Greek media, a new company, to be named New...

Europe Gets Ready To Fly

The European Commission won the right on June 5 to start talks with the United States on airport landing rights, in a move destined to lead to a wholesale shake-up of transatlantic aviation.

Another Record Year for Blue Flag Awards

Two recent very notable announcements allow Greece to boast as perhaps being the country with the world's best and cleanest swimming waters in the world. It began last month when the country was awarded a record 373 Blue Flags this year for its clean beaches and safe swimming...

A Common EU Tourism Policy Possible and Likely

The informal meeting last month of EU development ministers and tourism officials on the island of Crete laid the foundations for drafting a common tourism policy in the European Union by proposing specific measures on tourism promotion and communication.

POET Holds General Meeting

Leading members of Greece's tourism community attended the recent general meeting of the Panhellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (POET) held in Athens.

Greek-Turkish Tourism Agreement Signed

Turkish Tourism Minister Guldal Aksit arrived in Athens last month to sign a tourism cooperation agreement with Greek Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos. The agreement includes efforts to promote a common tourism product to markets such as North America, China and Russia.

Tourism Council Meets With Aim to Develop into Positive Forum

Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, after chairing last month's meeting of the National Tourism Council, said his government plans to take steps to reinforce the tourism industry in the event war breaks out with Iraq. He mentioned the creation of a committee to propose...

Tourism Sector Weakened By Strong Euro

The strength of the euro against the dollar brings some opportunities to the forefront for Greek travelers to countries outside of the EU. The same applies to travelers from other European Union countries, including Greece's main markets of Germany and Britain, who may forsake...

Greece EU Presidency Features Open Skies Policy

When Greece assumes the European Union presidency on January 1, for a six-month period, its transportation brief will include a member states' agreement to award the European Commission a wide-ranging mandate to negotiate a bilateral USA-EU "open skies" agreement.

Convention Bureau Top Priority For New Attica Hoteliers’ Association Board

A convention and visitors bureau for Athens, that's the top priority for the new board of directors of the Attica Hoteliers' Association. Already, the board has the support of the Attica Regional Authority. The next step is to convince travel-related associations in the region to...

Airlines Double Passenger Compensation

The European Union's transport council recently announced a decision to effectively double the compensation paid to passengers who are unable to be accommodated on the flights on which they are booked.