Greece: The report of the current tourist year is extremely positive – Economy
The regulation of short-term rental and the lack of staff remain an open issue
The report of the current tourism season for Greece is described as extremely positive by the heads of the tourism sector, as the association gave its “attendance” to the regular general assembly of the Hotel Chamber, which was held at the Metropolitan Expo convention center, where it opened its doors today of the tourist exhibition Xenia. In the intervention of the president of the XEE, Alexandros Vasilikos, inaugurating his second term as the president of the XEE, signed that after difficult circumstances, the clear contribution of the hotel industry to the success of this year’s very good year is certified. “We implemented the health protocols in an exceptional way that contributed to the health safety of the destination as a whole,” said Mr. Vasilikos, among other things.
Referring to the major challenges that the hotel industry has to manage, Mr. Vasilikos focused on the increase in energy costs (electricity increased by 100%), the increase in supplies by 40%, but also the lack of staff, which was raised, if the measures were not increased, as explained by Mr. Vasilikos. In fact, staff shortages are now estimated at 61,000 when the initial estimate spoke of a shortage of 50,000 people. At the same time, the open fronts for the hotel industry have to do with the regulation of short-term rental, the regulation of copyright, but also the operation of 12-month hotels, whose viability is threatened by the increase in energy costs, according to president of the XEE.
On the same wavelength, the president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, Yiannis Retsos, focused on the tourism year, stating that despite the slight lag in revenue compared to 2019, it brought 18 billion. Euro tourism revenue in the Greek economy, 4 billion. euros in addition to the budget target for this year. “An additional 4 billion euros that was useful for the problems of Greek society,” noted Mr. Retsos. Referring to the next year, Mr. Retsos pointed out that the tourism sector looks forward to it with optimism, a consequence of the fact that Greece is the 5th Brand worldwide, with all that this implies for tourist flows to Greece. In fact, he reminded that Greece is in the top three in its main markets, in terms of the countries that Europeans want to spend their vacations in, when in the past we were in positions from 5 to 10, said Mr. Retsos. In the meantime, Mr. Retsos mentioned the unfair competition of short-term rental as one of the major problems that concern the sector. In fact, he estimated that the situation is positive for the regulation of the market in question.
Taking the baton of the proposals, the president of POX, Grigoris Tassios, after pointing out that the season was indeed good, expressed the wish that 2023 would repeat the expectations of the sector. In any case, he pointed out that everyone should be careful, restrained and work for the best result. “Our world is now fluid and uncertain and nothing can be taken for granted,” he noted. Earlier, the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias underlined that this year he did not confirm those who believe that Greek tourism was not doing well this year and he focused on the systematic work of the ministry to achieve this year’s goal.
The Xenia exhibition that opened today at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition center will welcome people until Monday, November 28 and aims to offer a complete experience to the visitor, as the organizers emphasize. In fact, citizens will have the opportunity to see up close a series of speeches and presentations, which will move in 3 central axes (Tech, Design & Sustainability) and aim to create a point of innovation and inspiration for all the citizens of the exhibition. In the context of these Workshops, specialized speeches and discussions will be held by renowned architects as well as important personalities of the tourism industry from Greece and abroad. The goal is to provide experiences and opinions that can significantly influence the future of tourism and contribute substantially to the creative redesign of the Greek tourist product.
With information from APE-MPE
(file photo)