Greece’s ministry of tourism is planning marketing activities to woo LGBTQI+ tourists as part of the country’s drive to “enrich and diversify” its offering to holidaymakers.
As part of the strategy to develop the market, tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Queer Destinations.
Founded in 2019, Queer Destinations promotes the LGBTQI+ travel market and liaises with government officials, destinations and companies in the tourism sector.
The minister said its tourism strategy for LGBTQI+ travellers will provide “an additional competitive advantage” to Greece’s tourism offer.
She said the strategy includes the collection and analysis of data for LGBTQI+ tourism, and “special efforts in informing and sensitising” the tourism industry and local communities.
Promotional material for LGBTQI+ tourism in Greece will be created for communication campaigns, and the country will host or support LGBTQI+ events.
The ministry of tourism has created a code of conduct for the prevention and handling of discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals in tourism businesses.
Kefalogianni said: “The policy to attract LGBTQI+ tourism will contribute to a bright future for Greek tourism, where everyone will feel welcome to discover the beauty of Greece and the unique travel experiences it can offer.”
Oriol Pamies, founder of Queer Destinations, and Edgar Weggelaar, chief executive of QD, thanked the minister for her initiatives and congratulated Greece for the “significant progress” it has made recently in recognising LGBTQI+ rights.
Pictured signing the memorandum of understanding in Athens are, from left: Oriol Pamies, Olga Kefalogianni and Edgar Weggelaar.
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