Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on Friday outlined the investment opportunities and growth prospects offered by Greece’s tourism sector at a seminar held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, organised by the German Embassy in Athens and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels.
In her opening remarks at the seminar “Tourism: A rising market,” Olga Kefalogianni stressed that the results achieved by Greece’s tourism sector in 2013 proved that it could play a pivotal role in a new productive model for the country. She said the great challenge for the tourism ministry was how to extend the current tourism season, noting that there was very good cooperation with the German side in this area, with the priority focused on tourism training and the institution of apprenticeships along the lines of a dual education system.

The minister said that approximately 20 million tourists visited Greece in 2013, some 15.5% more than the previous year, and that 2.2 million alone had come from Germany. She predicted new records for Greek tourism in arrivals and revenues during 2014.
The seminar was also addressed by Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, who thanked Germany for the implementation of the reforms being carried out in Greece and said that no other country had supported Greece as much as Germany.

Referring to health/medical tourism, Adonis Georgiadis asserted this was potentially an area that could see “miracles” in terms of boosting tourist arrivals to Greece and that a Joint Ministerial Decision on medical tourism would introduce all the measures necessary for its development.

German Ambassador in Greece Peter Schoof stressed that Greece had more to offer than just sea and sun, saying there was huge potential for its development as a destination for cultural trips, city breaks, medical tourism and sea tourism.
The head of the Greek hotels’ chamber George Tsakiris also noted that the results vindicated the sector’s insistence on the need to upgrade the country’s tourism product, both in terms of government priority and on social acceptance of tourism as the country’s most important economic activity.