“We women ought to highlight the special effort we make” – CONTRIBUTOR’S CONFERENCE TO MARGARITA MANOUSOU by ANZELAS GEREKOU, President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, KAS

Originally from Corfu, the president of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Ms Angela Gerekou, talks to us about the development potential of the Ionian Islands, their beauty and explains the reasons why Greece is an attractive international destination. On the occasion of Women’s Day, she admitted that women still suffer the consequences of gender diversity.

What do you consider to be the main reasons why a significant number of visitors from abroad choose to visit Greece once or more times?

The main reason is hospitality, which is a concept intertwined with Greece. Today Greece is combined with landscapes of natural beauty and offers the security of a modern country – member of the European Union, which is also a factor of stability in the wider region, as well as the fact of the multiple choices it offers to the international visitor.
The combination of these factors, with proper management and promotion, attracts a steadily large number of tourists from Europe and the USA, as well as from more distant regions.

The magazine grtraveller has a special feature on the Ionian Islands. Why do you think that a visitor from Europe will choose the Ionian Islands for their holidays. Does a Greek have a reason to visit the Ionian Islands on holiday?

Each Region of Greece has its own characteristics and combines reasons to attract visitors from abroad and from our country. So the Ionian Islands also have their own part in the overall image of our country.

The Ionian Islands combine clean coasts and seas, along with high quality tourist services, cultural wealth and thematic activities.

The Ionian Islands have their own physiognomy due to their historical tradition and are a familiar place for many European travellers, while at the same time they attract the Greek visitor. The style of the Ionian Islands is the main reason for their selection.

Why do you think that the Ionian Sea is considered the ideal sea for yachting and sailing?

Greece as a whole, due to the quality of its environmental and marine advantages and its very good climate, is a destination where yachting is a significant part of the total number of visitors.
The Ionian Sea offers many options for water activities in the local areas, so many visitors prefer them.
As the Greek National Tourism Organisation, we are strategically promoting marine tourism, of which yachting is a key part, providing significant revenues to local communities. Of course, immediate improvements are required in the condition of marinas throughout the country so that they can welcome international visitors with organized infrastructure. This is why the Ministry of Tourism has initiated procedures for the allocation of marinas in many areas of Greece, including Zakynthos and Argostoli in Kefalonia.

The British market has been choosing the Ionian Islands for holidays for many years. What factors do you think account for this preference?

Visitors from Great Britain and Ireland are aware of the potential of the Ionian Islands, offering a cultural, environmental, touristic diversity – close to their culture, combined with a high level of service and product provision.
At the same time, one should not be discouraged by these facts, but with quality as a criterion at every stage of the tourist process, the Ionian Islands should also move towards sustainable tourism development and its proper promotion. It is clear that in order for the Ionian Islands to remain a destination in attracting the British market, a modern advertising approach is needed and the product on offer needs to meet the current needs of visitors.

Do you think that the Greek tourist product and especially the tourist product offered by the Ionian Islands has a good price/quality ratio?

Our country is renowned for the quality of the services and products it provides. The aim today is for visitors to bring an experience, a story worth telling when they return to their homelands.
That’s the best advertisement. In this matter, the quality-price ratio plays a decisive role, since each person can judge what he or she receives.
Today there is a good balance, but it deserves and must be improved, as mass tourism becomes more qualitative and thematic tourism is highlighted. By increasing the quality of the product offered, prices should be in a good balance, taking into account competing countries.
The government’s regulations will provide more incentives for businesses to drive more vigorously in this direction.

What actions by local entrepreneurs and residents of the Ionian Islands could help in the development of tourism and therefore in the creation of new jobs?

The emphasis should be on quality and offering multiple choices in thematic tourism. This guarantees the improvement of the tourism product. In this way, existing jobs are strengthened and new jobs are created. Extroversion is also an important factor and this is the point of contact and cooperation with the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Tourism entrepreneurs and the local authorities need synergies between them in order to solve problems and promote the destination more effectively. The proper promotion of the Ionian Islands and solutions to local infrastructure problems are a sure path for the development of tourism in the region.

Why do you think that a high school or middle school graduate should choose the field of Tourism Studies as the right choice with potential?

It is the duty of the state to give educational and employment opportunities to every young person, wherever they come from, in order to achieve the realisation of each individual’s opportunities and abilities. Tourism in Greece contributes greatly to the economy and significantly strengthens local communities and now, with the specialisation of the services provided as well as the activities supporting the tourism process, the job and professional options are many and varied. The Greek tourism activity, through its sustainability strategy, guarantees a stable economic operation, giving young people substantial professional choices. Based on each individual’s aptitude and potential, there are substantial employment opportunities with substantial pay.

Do you know if there is a potential for investment in tourism projects in the Ionian Islands and what investments are involved?

The issue of waste management in Corfu and soon for the Ionian Islands as a whole is already being resolved, so it is clear that infrastructure is the main pillar for attracting investment.
Also, the acceleration of the concession of Marinas through the initiative of the Ministry of Tourism is a key driver of investment processes for the region as a whole, while the new legal framework for waterways offers an integrated approach to transport.

How do you think that the investments can help to prolong the tourist season, which is the main objective for the Greek tourist product and for the Ionian Islands?

The main objective of the Greek National Tourism Organisation is to establish Greece as a destination that remains “Always in season”, as is the theme of this year’s campaign. Of course, the attraction of tourists in all seasons of the year is directly related to the type and quality of the services provided and the variety of choices that the visitor can take during the established summer period and more widely. The investments that enhance thematic tourism are mainly related to actions that have a direct impact on the local economy, when combined with appropriate promotion.
It is certain that a coordinated operation of investment actions, improvement of infrastructure along with targeted promotion of the area, can lead to the extension of the tourist season and therefore to an increase in revenues.

From your position as President of the Greek Tourism Organisation, how do you think you can help the development of tourism in the Ionian Islands and the development of the Greek tourism product?

In the EEA, the position of President has executive responsibilities and one of these is the representation of the EEA in the formulation and implementation of the tourism programmes of the Regions.

The GNTO cooperates with the Regions in order to highlight the thematic specialisation of the Greek tourism product. The individual potential of each place is promoted and sustainable tourism development is promoted so that there is a steady increase in revenue but
while protecting the environment.

This activity is specialized for each Region, in order to promote Greece, aiming to attract visitors in all seasons, offering more choices and quality to our international visitors, beyond our well-known motif of “sun and sea”.

Has the fact that you are a woman had a positive or negative impact on your professional/political development?

It is a fact that, every day, despite legal protection provisions and communication, women continue to suffer the consequences of gender diversity, both in the workplace and in their social activities.
It is an issue of international importance and it is also happening in Greece. The woman is called upon to prove more as well as to try sometimes harder to get equal treatment, possibly even from other women. The evolution of women as professionals, workers, mothers, (and politicians) has as a basic issue that more effort is always needed and that is why we women must highlight the individual effort that we each make every day, but also seek the implementation of the legal framework of protection that is the typical path we need.

You were born in Corfu, an island whose tourist tradition dates back to the 1950s. How did this influence your subsequent career, as Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture and now as President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation?

Education and performances, together with the culture that Corfu has, have given me a broader perception of a more “melodic” and more “colorful” approach to issues, so that the way of cooperation and implementation of policies related to tourism and culture is more direct.
Generally speaking, the origin of a person is not about geographical identification but about the traditions, culture and the general identity of the place and in Corfu this influence is strong.
It is a great pleasure and an even greater honor to have had the opportunity to represent the island of Corfu in the Greek Parliament in the past years and today, through the Greek National Tourism Organization, every effort to improve the island is welcome.