Under the Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni, met with the Regional Tourism Council with the main topics being the creation and operation of Destination Management and Promotion Bodies (DMMOS) and the National Observatory for Sustainable Tourism Development.
In her introduction, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni highlighted that “in the context of implementing our strategy for the development of sustainable tourism and ensuring the viability of Greek destinations, our strategic choice is the participation of local communities in the management of tourism activity in our country”.
Legislative initiatives, financial instruments and interventions
The Minister of Tourism presented the legislative initiatives, financial instruments and interventions which aim to protect, ensure resilience and enhance the potential of tourist destinations.
In particular, for the National Observatory for Sustainable Tourism Development, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni stressed that its role and functioning have been strengthened, with the establishment of the obligation to provide and exchange data between public sector entities, so that there is a more global and comprehensive picture of statistical data, but also trends related to tourism. The Minister announced the creation of a platform of National Observatories and corresponding Regional-Local Observatories for Sustainable Tourism Development with the aim of effectively monitoring the performance of the tourism sector, in order to provide in real time the data necessary for the development and monitoring of the implementation of the tourism strategy.
In relation to them Destination management and promotion organizationsthe Minister of Tourism highlighted that this is a new model of destination management, a strategic development tool for the future of Greek tourism. He also called on everyone to use the funding from the Recovery and Resilience Fund to create and operate Destination Management and Promotion Organizations in the country’s regions.
A special mention was made by Mrs. Olga Kefalogianni in Special Spatial Framework for Tourism, which is open for public consultation until September 15th and which defines the basic principles, rules and priorities of how and where tourism should be developed in our country. He mentioned that the APE also provides guidance for the Regional Spatial Frameworks, to ensure their harmonization with the priorities for tourism development.
“It is therefore crucial to consider how the new Spatial Plan can be used in the development of each Region with the right priorities and directions, which will also be useful in the underlying urban planning that is now underway in many of the country’s regions.”
The Minister of Tourism stressed that it is of fundamental importance, in light of modern tourism needs and data, to provide solutions that promote sustainable development, which give perspective to local societies, destinations, entrepreneurship, and the human capital of tourism.
And he concluded:
“With the new institutional tools and the tools for recording data and disseminating know-how, we aim for a tourism product that is sustainable and competitive at an international level as a whole. In promoting Greece as a destination with global appeal, distinguished by its quality, durability and unique travel experiences.”
Who participated?
The meeting was held in the presence of Deputy Minister of Tourism Elena Raptis, Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development Vasias Koutsoukos and Vice-President of the EOT Konstantinos Zikos, President of the Union of Greek Regions (EN.PE) and Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the EN.PE Tourism Commission and Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands Ioannis Trepeklis, Regional Governor of the Aegean Prefecture Giorgos Hatzimarkos, Regional Governor of the Peloponnese Dimitrios Ptochos, Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christodoulos Topsidis.
The Deputy Regional Governor of Attica Christina Kefalogianni, from the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Panagiotis Archontis, from the Region of Thessaly, the Deputy Regional Governor of the Magnesia Regional Unit Anna Maria Papadimitriou and the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Natasa Adamopoulou, from the Region of Central Macedonia, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Euridiki (Vicky) Hatzivasiliou and the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Athanasios Michelongonas, and from the Region of Central Greece, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Culture Fani Papathoma, from the Region of Western Greece, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Development Panagiotis Sakellaropoulos, from the Region of Western Macedonia, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Polytimi Farmakis, from the Region of Epirus, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Polytimi Farmakis, from the Region of Greece … Vice-Regional Governor of the Preveza Regional Unit, Efstratios Ioannou, of the Region of Crete, Vice-Regional Governor for Tourism, Kyriakos Kotsoglou, and Vice-Regional Governor for Culture, Christos Michalakis.