By Alexia Sotiriou

 

 

Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni, participated in the 12th General Assembly of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCCH), where she highlighted the basic regulations for short-term rentals included in the new bill of the Ministry of Tourism, the digital transformation of the Ministry, the Greek National Tourism Organization and the other digital tools for Greek tourism, while she also revealed the directions of the new program "Tourism for All".

 

At the beginning of her speech, Kefalogianni referred to the latest figures for the first nine months of 2024, according to which receipts increased by approximately 4% and inbound travel traffic by more than 9% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. "However, it is the responsibility of the state to plan the future taking into account developments in global tourism, as well as new challenges," stressed the Minister of Tourism, adding that it is crucial that tourism continues to contribute to the national economy, businesses, and local communities in the future.

 

Kefalogianni made a brief report on the legislative initiatives for tourism so far, highlighting, among other things:

 

The establishment of the Regional Tourism Council, the Observatory for Coastal and Marine Tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Wine Tourism Council.

 

The provision of new tourism products, as well as regulations that promote specific forms of tourism.

 

The improvement of procedures related to the licensing of tourism infrastructure and hospitality infrastructure.

 

The possibility of constructing buildings for the accommodation of employees.

 

The institutional framework for short-term rentals.

 

 

The Region of Crete, within the framework of the strategy for promoting the island in the US tourist market, participated in the professional event "Greek Tourism Luxury Workshop" organized in Chicago, USA.

 

During the workshop, the representatives of the Region of Crete held business meetings (B2B) with travel agencies in the greater Chicago area, which is the third largest city in the USA, with the aim of promoting and strengthening the tourist flow to Crete, while its tourist product was presented to all participants.

 

More than 250,000 Americans visited Crete in 2024 as part of a cruise (Heraklion, Chania). Crete could claim a larger share of Americans visiting the country and staying longer, while spending approximately 976.6 euros per visit (61.9% higher expenditure compared to visitors from other countries).

 

The workshop was attended by more than forty tour operators and journalists, who showed interest in organizing trips to Crete for families, couples, seniors, as well as people with limited mobility, while they were particularly interested in Cretan culture, gastronomy, and the possibility of visiting Crete in combination with other islands.