Minister for Tourism for Greece Olga Kefalogianni will welcome the Travel Convention to the Peloponnese in October. She spoke to Ian Taylor
Olga Kefalogianni was appointed tourism minister of Greece for a second time following the general election of June 2023 in time to see Greece celebrate a record year for international visitors, including from the UK.
This year, she said “numbers look set to be even higher”. Data up to June showed a 15% increase in arrivals and 12% increase in tourism receipts over the same period last year.
Kefalogianni noted: “We’re particularly pleased as there has been an increase of up to 20% in arrivals during the winter and spring.”
Travel from the UK “reached an all-time high in 2023” at more than 4.5 million visitors, and she said: “Up to June this year, we’ve seen a 6% increase in arrivals from the UK compared to the same period last year.”
She added: “All major European source markets have set new records, while the US market is growing steadily and appears to be heading for an all-time high with a near 10% increase.”
Kefalogianni, who previously served as tourism minister in 2012-15, described the growth in visitor numbers since as “impressive”, noting tourism arrivals and receipts had more than doubled since 2012.
It was a very different time for Greece, with the country caught in a devastating and prolonged financial crisis and more dependent than ever on tourism receipts.
She recalled: “We focused on conveying the message that Greece was as welcoming as ever.” But her ministry we also took action “to facilitate a more diverse offering and ensure a friendlier environment for investment in tourism”.
Kefalogianni said: “Greece has evolved into one of the leading travel brand names over the last decade and entered the world’s top 10 list of most-popular destinations in 2023. Along with the increase in visitor numbers, Greece has also seen substantial growth in tourism infrastructure, including investment by international hospitality brands.”
However, growing numbers and investment in infrastructure are no longer enough. She argued: “Today, we’re entering a new chapter in tourism development – addressing sustainability. Safeguarding natural and cultural resources and the identity and wellbeing of local communities are at the heart of our considerations.”
She explained: “We work closely with stakeholders to incorporate sustainable practices into every aspect of the industry.
“Cooperation between central government and local communities is key. We’ve enacted legislation to facilitate a new model of local governance for destination management and promotion. We’re also placing special emphasis on education, as well as on upskilling and reskilling people in travel and hospitality.
“Our strategy aims to balance the benefits of tourism with the needs of local economies and communities while safeguarding the natural and cultural environment. Along with policies to diversify, upgrade education and foster cooperation with local communities, we’ve introduced tools for systematic data collection and information flow.”
Kefalogianni added: “We’re creating a platform for a National Observatory for Sustainable Tourism Development and we’ve established a monitoring centre for coastal and maritime tourism in the eastern Mediterranean, a project initiated with UN Tourism.” The centre aims to facilitate the collection and dissemination of data on coastal and marine tourism, with several countries expressing interest in participating.
She said: “Other initiatives include upgrading the infrastructure for renewable energy and energy conservation in hotels, and working towards creation of a classification system based on sustainability criteria which will certify hotels according to their environmental and social footprint.”
Increased risk of fires
Greece is no stranger to the increasingly obvious consequences of a warming climate.
Kefalogianni noted: “Greece has, like many regions, experienced extreme weather events and wildfires exacerbated by climate change. Our government is allocating resources to improve infrastructure and strengthen destinations’ resilience.
“Civil protection planning is in place to address the risks associated with wildfires and the warning system for natural disasters, an emergency 112 text message, has already proved effective. The system played a crucial role in assisting the preventive evacuation of resorts last year.
“When there is an increased risk of fire, all agencies remain on heightened alert to take measures, including hotel evacuations if needed.
“This year we launched a digital assistant and mobile application, ‘mAiGreece’, which supports 31 languages and uses geographic location to provide timely, personalised information. A key goal is to provide immediate assistance when travel to any part of Greece is affected by an emergency.
“In addition, a platform created by the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels is designed to offer temporary accommodation to those affected by emergencies.” The Chamber of Hotels is supervised by the tourism ministry.
Promoting lesser-known destinations
Protests against poorly managed tourism, particularly in Spain, have not gone unnoticed in Greece.
Kefalogianni acknowledged: “There are destinations in Greece that experience high visitor numbers at specific times which has raised concerns in some communities.
“This issue calls for immediate attention and cooperation among governments and businesses to ensure tourism benefits both visitors and local communities without compromising the environment or heritage.”
She said: “We’re promoting lesser-known destinations as well as travel in the shoulder season to reduce pressure on popular areas.”
This extends to regulating short-term rentals and considering regulation of cruise arrivals.
Kefalogianni noted: “The government recently introduced regulations to govern taxation on short-term property rentals and we’re examining regulations relating to cruise ship arrivals to reduce the strain on some destinations.”
This also fits with a strategy to position Greece as a year-round destination.
She said: “Our vision is to showcase what Greece has to offer across all seasons and provide more diverse experiences. We’re promoting yachting, winter tourism, diving, as well as spa and wellness, and financing projects to upgrade infrastructure in marinas, as well as ski resorts.”
Other projects aim at upgrading thermal spa facilities and “promoting agritourism, gastronomy and wine tourism, and we’ll launch digital platforms and special campaigns to support these activities. Working with stakeholders, we aim to promote off-peak travel and lesser-known destinations.”
Attracting investment
Reducing the bureaucracy surrounding tourism investment decisions in Greece was identified as a priority by Kefalogianni when she first headed the tourism ministry.
She recalled: “Back in 2013, we established a dedicated one-stop shop at the ministry to foster tourism investment.
“Our goal was to ensure different areas of investment benefited from reduced bureaucracy and expedited procedures. This unit has facilitated significant projects in the sector since then.”
Kefalogianni believes Greece is now viewed as an attractive destination for capital investment. But she insisted: “Creating an investor-friendly environment and streamlining procedures remains a priority.
“There is growing interest not just in popular destinations but in lesser-known areas. We recently introduced legislation to simplify procedures and facilitate investment not only in hospitality but also in facilities such as yacht marinas, thermal spa and wellness centres.”
She notes that attracting investment and making it easier to do business while protecting the environment and balancing the needs of local communities can be a challenge but argued: “We encourage investments that prioritise eco-friendly infrastructure and create opportunities for sustainable growth.
“We aim to achieve a balance between economic efficiency social equity, and environmental conservation through careful planning and management.
“We’re developing a spatial planning framework for tourism to guide future investment and development of infrastructure.”
The Travel Convention will come at what she describes as “a pivotal moment for tourism in our country”.
Kefalogianni said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Abta’s Travel Convention back to Greece. It’s an opportunity to share our common vision.
“Messenia and the Peloponnese is such a rewarding destination, with a vast cultural heritage and magnificent natural environment, and Costa Navarino is a world-leading hospitality destination. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wonderful corner of Greece.”
The Travel Convention is on October 7-9. Registration remains open: abta.com/events/the-travel-convention