Olympia Anastasopoulou’s speech at Naftemporiki’s London’s World Travel Market 2022 event

Olympia Anastasopoulou, Greece’s Secretary-Standard of Tourism Plan and Improvement, Ministry of Tourism

Subsequent her successfull speech at the 96th Propeller Club celebration in Athens, we convey you below beneath in free of charge translation the speech of Olympia Anastasopoulou, Greece’s Secretary-Basic of Tourism Policy and Development, Ministry of Tourism held at Greece’s stand at the WM 2022 in london’s ExCel and we also we include things like at the finish the Greek textual content*

Pricey Ladies, Dear Gentlemen,
Initially of all, unique thanks to Naftemporiki for the invitation, a newspaper that because 1924 has been a pioneer in intercontinental collaborations, initial in circulation and readership between the monetary newspapers of Greece, awarded with the Grand Ermis and Ermis Gold in the Best class Media Web-site , whilst supplying its subscribers much more than 30 unique ( B 2 B ) editions a yr. A newspaper recognized for its seriousness and creditworthiness, which sets the bar large when it will come to information and in-depth investigation of occasions.

I would also like to take this chance to would like Mr. Spyros Ktenas, Naftemporikis’ Basic Supervisor and his colleagues, each good results in their new undertaking, the English-language special edition ” Treasures of Greek Tourism “, as nicely as their debut participation in this year’s Environment Vacation Current market London 2022.

Dear mates,
I am delighted and honored to be with you currently at EOT’s new and present day stand which consists of crucial innovations and is far more practical for both equally website visitors and exhibitors.

Innovation, sustainability and an emphasis on digital media are the key pillars of our method which are also reflected in the new architecture of the stands.

We are going ahead, renewing and intensifying our efforts, not only for 2023, but also for the up coming day of Greece’s tourism in its entirety.

As you know, tourism was a supply of optimism for the potential of the Greek economic climate throughout the tricky several years of the memorandums imposed, when it is now also the auto of restoration for the large and long lasting growth course of our nation, in get to create long lasting prosperity both for our country and its citizens.

In individual, tourism, the dynamic restoration of which this calendar year may well move to ranges better than these of 2019, generates expectations for better development than envisioned, as dependent on estimates of its secondary, oblique advantages in other sectors of the financial state, and same is calculated to create in 2022 up to 52.89 billion for the gross domestic product, offered of study course that no incredible situations with adverse influence come up.

These estimates are embraced by massive foreign banking entities, these as HSBC and Bank of The united states , with the previous upgrading its forecast for Greek advancement this calendar year to 6.5{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} from 4{e9f0aada585b9d73d0d08d3c277fd760092386ec23cac37d50f4b8cd792b062a} earlier and the latter also conversing about a substantial favourable result.

It is also really worth noting that a analysis by Grant Thornton and the Hotel Chamber of Greece displays that the benefits of tourism spread to 17 branches of financial exercise and 9 sectors of the Greek economic system, including the key one.

Women and Gentlemen,
The imprint of the need to have for a new model of sustainable tourism, which will follows the principles set by the Globe Tourism Corporation, ” vacation , delight in , regard ” but also assistance that, exact will count on and assist human existence at the same time, it is in this article to remain.

The effects of Sars Cov 2 in the travel marketplace, have now evidently proven that a nationwide policy for tourism must automatically merge:
a) Companies and techniques, which respect the country’s one of a kind organic wealth and community identification, throughout the journey experience.
b) Attracting dependable website visitors at a steadily rising level, which includes the bearing ability of locations.
Sustainable tourism is not only a require for the world and our place, it is also the simple problem in order to reward from the resources of the European Restoration and Resilience Funds.

And to be apparent, as policymakers, we think about tourism a strategic sector that can bring in lengthy-expression overseas investment, promote work and market the country’s regional enhancement.

For the govt, this sector is at the centre of progress, innovation, and extroversion.
As the key aims of the national tourism policy, we have established the lengthening of the vacationer period, the enhancement of the competitiveness, high quality, authenticity and toughness of the vacationer products and, at the exact time, the strengthening of tourist investments with a reduced environmental footprint.

Our precedence is a systemic shift to a extra sustainable tourism financial system that works each for modern society and the ecosystem. To this end we have a robust starting up foundation, as Greece is rated 25th out of 140 nations around the world in the 2019 Journey and Tourism Competitiveness Index of the World Financial Discussion board ( WEF ).

Also, on personal indicators, Greece is rated 13th for its well being and hygiene, 18th for air transportation infrastructure and 18th for its tourism assistance infrastructure.

The Sustainable Advancement Plans (SDGs) are vital to the restoration leading to greener, a lot more inclusive economies and more powerful, additional resilient societies.

We now have the prospect to speed up sustainable growth and that is why the central will of the Ministry of Tourism is to step by step comply with the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda, integrating them into the nationwide tourism policy and establishing a countrywide analysis technique to check the development of its implementation…

Precisely, the large array of interventions to fortify the resilience and sustainability of tourism incorporates the generation of Location Management and Promotion Corporations ( DMMOs ) in Entire world Course Greek Tourism Places as pilot plans, the enhancement of licensing, certification and start-up functions for tourism businesses and infrastructure relevant to tourism of special desire, as properly as enhancing knowledge management.

Dear buddies,
According to worldwide surveys, the pandemic introduced about a radical transformation in the code of fashionable values. As a final result, a new landscape is emerging in world wide tourism, with a new variety of traveler getting center stage.

Huge sizes are place apart, the modern vacationer returns to the concepts of evaluate and equilibrium. Soon after the expertise of Covid, values such as safety, overall health, general effectively-currently being, proper nutrition, defense of the earth are strengthened far more and projected as vital wants.

For tourism knowledge, the higher than interprets to: far more and far more vacationers will be searching new destinations, non-massive, choice, which will respect the stability with the setting and have large-high quality hospitality infrastructure, even though presenting the traveler a sense of safety, with out depriving him of the magic of vacation.

After all, the craze that is emerging as certainly dominant for the coming several years is the research for destinations that can give their guests one of a kind, genuine and experiential experiences.

The encounter overall economy, which had already appeared dynamically in the international tourism scene, will be the spearhead in the coming a long time.

Taking into account these new, international traits, as nicely as the several reports and researches of Greek and International institutes and businesses, the system of Greek tourism presupposes focused growth by means of a methodical, considerable, revolutionary, digital and environmentally friendly style and design in a framework of sustainability and resilience.

The 5 axes for the progress of Greek tourism largely issue the adhering to fields:
– The improvement and enhancement of general public – mostly- infrastructures
– The upgrading, innovation and marketing of the tourist product or service
– The digital update and transformation of the tourism ecosystem
– Environmental defense and sustainability, as very well
– The strengthening of competencies and the development of entrepreneurship.

At the identical time, the Greek Condition totally examines many megatrends this sort of as hypertourism, the sharing financial state, social and demographic variations, emerging places, safety and disaster management.
In Greece the traveler can love a variety of encounters in a truly holistic way, inscribed in his system, soul and brain. 1 could say that the ancient Greek lifestyle is returning as a present day demand of the new age.

This is how we consider gain of the trend of Millennials , a very dynamic audience, to file special, one of a kind travel activities, as well as the new tradition of distant do the job ( remote operating ), the evolution of which seems to be “digital nomadism” ( digital nomads ).

It is mentioned that Greek tourism, although remaining asked to align its model with the digital procedure and the ecological design, has, in addition to a government that is constantly modernizing the condition, many added provides, such as:
– The Greek brand is in the best 5 around the world,
– has a huge spread in its markets,
– it moves inside the incomparable normal and cultural landscape of our state, the exploitation of which constitutes a one of a kind comparative edge.

So, we do not lack policies, nor assets. It is also known that the Nationwide Restoration Program directs big money in direction of the electronic and inexperienced transformation of corporations, whilst the credits from the new NSRF are also crucial, with the identical goal.

In the end, it is up to us to just take edge of this impressive economic lever to choose and make the great leap into the long run, as the Key Minister not too long ago talked about, so that we reach (a) lowering our environmental footprint, (b) addressing of “hyper-tourism” with new infrastructures and smart flow administration, (c) sustainable techniques which will also worry local communities and of system (d) the generation of alternative locations for all the 12 months of the calendar year.

Girls and gentlemen,
In the coming years, we will all be identified as on to adapt to fashionable requirements and new priorities. At the Ministry of Tourism we feel that with synergies and partnerships we have the ability to form the agenda for the correct transformation of tourism and the changeover to the next day.
So let’s emphasis on every little thing that would make us optimistic for a better long run. Supplied, nonetheless, that we have accomplished our very best in the present.
Thank you.

The textual content of her speech in Greek: