The challenges of the present, and the opportunities of the future
ARTICLE BY THE MINISTER OF MINISTRY OF TOURISM, Mrs. SOFIAS ZAHARAKIS
2021 finds us all at a crucial crossroads. As we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the beginning of our liberation struggle, society, the country and the whole world are in the midst of another struggle: of the struggle to regain our freedom in the face of the pandemic crisis, which has been casting a heavy shadow over our lives for a year now. But a crisis that, with vaccination advancing and accelerating, day by day we are leaving behind us, charting a clear path towards the much-needed freedom from the nightmare.
In these global conditions, the blow to tourism could only be severe. However, thanks to a combination of careful planning, support measures, the unparalleled dynamism of the Greek tourism product and, above all, the ability of its people, Greek tourism stood upright in the difficult year 2020, claiming a larger share in a necessarily smaller market and laying the foundations for its recovery. And 2021 is a year full of challenges, but they conceal within them the hope not only of overcoming the crisis, but also of rebuilding Greek tourism on new foundations, responding to the needs of
‘ Our bet as a country in 2021 is for our tourism to operate safely, within a framework of clear rules and health protection, fully safeguarding the health of Greeks and our visitors ‘
As the Greek government and the Ministry of Tourism our priority in this difficult time, is to support the world of Greek tourism. Despite the adversity, an unprecedented array of support measures for entrepreneurs and workers has been taken, and as the Ministry of Tourism we will make every effort to ensure that this support continues until we overcome the crisis and its major consequences. This is, after all, the explicitly expressed will of the Prime Minister.
Our bet as a country in 2021 is for our tourism to operate safely, within a framework of clear rules and health protection, fully safeguarding the health of our Greeks and our visitors, but also the country’s good health performance in relation to the competition. And through the recovery of tourism, to kick-start the overall overcoming of the crisis for the country.
Central to this recovery effort is the exploitation of our comparative advantages. And such advantages, with great potential for development, exist particularly in the field of special forms of tourism.
After all, visitors to a travel destination are increasingly looking for as complete a travel experience as possible, with an emphasis on options that have an element of uniqueness. And this desire, which they have been so deprived of in the past, is expected to be even stronger in the wake of the crisis experience.
‘…I have set as one of our top priorities,
especially this
– full of challenges – a year full of challenges – to support and promote Greek gastronomic tourism ‘
In this field, our country has enormous potential to exploit its advantages. Sectors with special dynamics are: o gastronomic, religious, sports (diving, climbing, cycling), conference, medical (spa, wellness).
Especially after the coronavirus experience, the visitor raises the issue of the health of the destination. Our country has many advantages in this area, but also significant areas for improvement. The awareness of the need to protect the good of health, combined with the upgrading and strengthening of the NHS, which was implemented in response to the pandemic, as well as the emergence of Greece as a safe destination in terms of health, are invaluable legacies for the future.
Personally, as the person responsible for special forms of tourism, I have made it one of our top priorities, especially in this challenging year, the support and promotion of Greek gastronomic tourism. It is an undeniable fact that gastronomic tourism is more than just another special form of tourism. It is a factor enrichment of the destination, and has become a reason for choosing it, and at the same time an investment with significant multiplier benefits, if one considers the results of studies according to which modern visitors – experience seekers, spend up to 35% of their budget to actions related to gastronomy.
That is why we are developing a plan to upgrade gastronomic tourism and prepare for the post-COVID era. The relevant axes are set out in the Conclusion of the Working Group on Gastronomic Tourism in which the development of Greek gastronomy is linked to the five strategic priorities of the Ministry of Tourism, namely:
- Addressing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Greek tourism.
- Promoting Sustainable Tourism Development.
- Diversification of the tourism product and improvement of competitiveness.
- Enhancing the Added Value of Human Resources Skills in Tourism and
- Promotion of the Greek tourist brand internationally.
We have already promoted specific initiatives, such as:
a) the participation of Greek cities in the UNESCO‘s Creative Cities of Gastronomy Network, a network that facilitates its Member Cities in the exchange of experiences and know-how, while at the same time contributing to the strengthening and promotion of the cultural, creative, economic and tourism potential of the wider region, with emphasis on the field of gastronomy, and
b) conducting a survey on the Greek Cuisine Label, with questions to its recipients (current and former), in order to incorporate their experience and comments, to improve it and make it as attractive as possible.
In addition, further actions are being promoted, such as the design and operation of thematic websites/digital observatories for wineries and Greek cuisine, as well as the development of a framework of breweries, cheese dairies and olive oil mills that can be visited. And the Ministry is pursuing even more and broader initiatives for the further promotion of the Greek gastronomic tourism product, focusing on simplification of procedures, the strengthening and optimal targeting of promotion, and above all the linking the individual specific tourism products into a multidimensional, attractive and therefore competitive package.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, the Greece of creation is present against the odds, and seeks more space and fewer obstacles for the next day. We must, by exploiting our comparative advantages within the framework of a strategic plan, connect, highlight and multiply all innovative efforts in the field of gastronomic and other special forms of tourism, so that our country can claim its rightful place in the new, post-pandemic era that is already dawning.
