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The resurgence of tourism to Greece following last month’s agreement on a bailout made Abta’s Travel Convention in the Peloponnese more pertinent than ever, according to chief executive Mark Tanzer.
He said: “Given the convention’s themes of risk and resilience, there is nowhere better to have it.
“Greece has been the epicentre of Europe’s financial drama and tourism is central to its prosperity.”
He added: “Costa Navarino showcases all that makes Greece compelling and will continue to sustain it as a core destination.
“It’s impressive how quickly bookings have recovered after last month’s uncertainty. But had the government run out of money, they would have prioritised tourism anyway. There was a lot of brinkmanship, but no drama from a tourism point of view.
“We’ve had a lot of intelligence, but we’re scrupulous about the details of the convention. We’re not doing anything different from prior years.”
Explaining how the venue will complement the convention programme, Tanzer said: “Everything in the industry is in a state of flux. This creates opportunities but also has downsides.
“The volatile geo-political scene is going to continue. So we’ll have a macro view, calibrating how much risk there is, not just in the eurozone. Then we’ll focus on strategies to deal with crisis, and on key industry players. There will be some new names and familiar ones.”
Tanzer reported registrations “significantly ahead of the same stage last year” and said: “It’s fitting Abta and its members show support for Greece at this time.”
The convention takes place in Costa Navarino on October 12-14.