7th Travel Trade Athens

Athens, 20 April 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Costas Bakoyannis: “The tourist product of Athens is adapting and evolving”

The destination of Athens was at the center of international tourism promotion on 19 and 20 April, through the organization of the ^7th Travel Trade Athens. A total of 147 representatives from leading companies of the Greek and foreign tourism industry participated online this year in the event-institution, which was implemented by Development and Tourism Promotion Company of the Municipality of Athens (EATA) in cooperation with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA).

During the two days of Travel Trade, 81 Greek companies in the tourism sector contacted 66 representatives of the international market, making a total of more than 1.200 online meetings, with a view to concluding agreements for future partnerships, at a crucial time for the “next day” of the tourism industry.

Through Travel Trade, the Greek capital “addressed” key target markets from Europe, America and Asia. The event was attended by representatives of major tourism companies from a total of 22 countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, who expressed their strong interest in the destination of Athens.

In the framework of the ^7th Travel Trade Athens, a hybrid press conference was held today, Tuesday, with the participation of the Mayor of Athens Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis, the President of the Aegean Airlines κ. Evtichios Vassilakis, the CEO of Athens International Airport Mr. Yannis Paraschis, the Policy Director of the European Association of Travel Agents Mr. Tim Fairhust and the President of the EATA Mrs. Melina Daskalaki.

In his speech, the κ. Costas Bakoyannis stressed, among other things, the importance of the event for the city of Athens in the effort to revive the tourism sector, especially at a time when tourism professionals are facing the harsh effects of the pandemic. At the same time, he referred to the important infrastructure projects that are currently underway in the city, proving that the municipality is addressing the destination in its entirety. “For the Municipality of Athens, the daily life of the city is inextricably linked to tourism. No communication gimmick or campaign can create new or even stable tourism if the infrastructure, life and daily life do not satisfy the Athens resident. So, we are not investing in tourism so that we can change the city but the other way round. We have started the changes that Athens has needed for decades to create the conditions that will attract tourism.” said the Mayor of Athens.

For his part, the κ. Evtichios Vassilakis, he stressed: “We continue to believe and invest in the prospects and attractiveness of Athens. A unique place to visit, and now with the new data, increasingly a place to live and work. 2020 and 2021, with the pandemic, were and will be extremely difficult years for all urban centres and of course for Athens. That is why it is crucial that we reaffirm, despite the circumstances, our commitment to joint, coordinated actions that promote the city and its product development, building our common future.”

Ο κ. John Paraschis, he pointed out: “In this extremely difficult period, we continue and intensify our strategic cooperation for the coordinated and safe restart of aviation and tourism in our city. Environmental sustainability, smart digital transformation and innovation are strategic pillars of this collective effort for the competitiveness and development of our Athens in the post-COVID era.“.

Mr Tim Fairhust, among others, said: “We are very close to achieving safe and seamless travel for travellers. The tourism industry can, and will, help to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. The integrated strategic approach adopted by Athens and the importance that Greece attaches to tourism in general, lay the right foundations for a sustainable tourism recovery and the full restart of the economy.“.

On the part of EATA, Ms Melina Daskalaki pointed out: “Athens is preparing to host major international conferences in the coming years, all of which will be based on sustainable practices. The Conferences and Visitors Bureau of the Municipality of Athens has been working dynamically to attract new conferences to the city, investing in the organization of “green meetings“, designed and implemented with the aim of minimising the environmental impact. Athens has the potential to become a model of “green experience” among other European cities“.

As the current travel conditions did not allow foreign participants to visit Athens during the two-day event, the familiarization trips to the destination were postponed to May and June. The aim is for the visiting professionals to get acquainted with the points of tourist interest and the city’s infrastructure for the organization of natural conferences and business meetings in the coming years in the capital. Already, however, the foreign participants had the opportunity to “tour” the city’s most important historical sites through two online tours.

At this year’s Travel Trade Athens, emphasis was also placed on the training of Greek tourism executives. In cooperation with major international tourism organizations, a comprehensive programme of creative workshops with different themes was held, in which more than 100 executives of the tourism industry from Greece had the opportunity to take part.