Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni took part in a teleconference organized by the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce to utilize promotional approaches aimed to render Greece an even more appealing destination to a larger group of American holiday-makers and visitors.
The initiative confirmed the positive climate, as a ministry press release read, from the minister’s recent trip to the US, but also to determine the initiatives that will lead to further improvement of the Greece-USA relationship in the tourism sector.
Kefalogianni referred to what she called a “strategic plan” to make Greece a “top of mind” destination for North American residents, i.e. a measure of how high brands rank in the consciousness of consumers. She emphasized the opening of the Greek tourism market to the West Coast, better promoting Greece to more far-off regions.
Kefalogianni said Greece had to invest more in cultural tourism and milder forms of tourism, such as agritourism and gastronomic vacations, showcasing and proposing a new perspective of Greece, beyond the typical “sun and the sea” model, which will benefit local communities and the sector’s sustainability.
During the teleconference, which also included the General Secretary of EOT, Dimitris Fragakis, the General Director of the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce, Elias Spirtounias, the President of the Tourism Committee of the Chamber, Tim Ananiadis, the need for reskilling and upskilling of professionals and staff in the hospitality industry, as well as accelerating investments in hotel units was also broached.
Fragakis stressed that the time is right to intensify Greece’s presence in the North American market and added that the ministry and EOT are open to proposals and collaborations.
Both Kefalogianni and the members of the Tourism Committee emphasized the positive development that has taken place with the increase of direct flights from US cities to Athens, but also the maturation of the discussion for flights from the United States to Thessaloniki.
