{"id":13294,"date":"2024-02-12T15:19:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T13:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/in-athens-at-the-heart-of-european-tourism-ect-7-9-february\/"},"modified":"2024-02-12T15:22:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T13:22:27","slug":"in-athens-at-the-heart-of-european-tourism-ect-7-9-february","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/in-athens-at-the-heart-of-european-tourism-ect-7-9-february\/","title":{"rendered":"In Athens at the “heart” of European tourism (ECT 7-9 February)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the initiative of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), theEuropean<\/strong> TourismCommittee (ETC-<\/strong>9<\/strong>
\n th<\/sup>
\n<\/strong> MIG<\/strong> and<\/strong> MKG<\/strong> Annual<\/strong> Meeting<\/strong>) was organised this year in Athens (7-9 February), focusing the attention of the European tourism community on Greece and Attica.<\/p>\n

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Participants-representatives from 28 tourism organisations from European countries and for the first time from Turkey were hosted in Athens with the support of the Hellenic Tourism Organisation, which is one of the 19 founding members of the European Travel Commission (ETC).<\/p>\n

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The theme of the 9th<\/sup> ETC conference “PIONEERING<\/strong> ACCESSIBLE<\/strong> AND<\/strong> CLIMATE-FRIENDLY<\/strong> DESTINATIONS<\/strong>“, was the subject of two meetings of the Marketing Intelligence Group and Marketing Group sections of the Commission, with an increased participation of 103 members, who gained the best impressions from the Greek event.<\/p>\n

The delegates represented the national organisations of the countries:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Austria, San Marino, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Spain.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    The Minister of Tourism addressed the conference Ms Olga Kefalogianni, the President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT) Ms Angela Gerekou and the Secretary General of EOT Mr. Dimitris Fragakis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Mrs Olga Kefalogianni<\/strong> after stressing that: “the Ministry of Tourism strongly supports the strategy for effective networking between EU Member States in the tourism sector, based on a solid set of principles”, he stressed that: “Digitalisation and strong partnerships help competitiveness and contribute to the success of the European tourism industry.<\/p>\n

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    \"\"<\/p>\n

    the Minister of Tourism Mrs Olga Kefalogianni<\/strong><\/h5>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Cooperation is crucial for the adaptation of policies aimed at developing sustainable tourism in Europe and particularly in maritime zones<\/strong>.” Mrs Kefalogianni made a special reference to the climate crisis, saying that “the overriding objective is to find solutions to address it”. He added that “the means and the strategy to overcome the challenges facing Europe’s natural and cultural landscape exist<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n

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    the Secretary General of EOT Mr. Dimitris Fragakis.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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    \u039f \u03ba. Dimitris Fragakis <\/strong>After declaring the work open, he said: “Greece has a leading and pioneering role in the European tourism industry. The GNTO has an excellent and long-standing cooperation with ETC, one of the most important bodies for tourism in the European Union and has supported from the very first moment this important event, which is also a good opportunity for the promotion of Athens abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Critical issues of tourism were discussed, including the climate crisis. The Greek government has put high on its agenda to adapt to the phenomenon and to address its negative consequences in all sectors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    We are proud that with the initiative of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the annual ETC meeting was held in Athens for the first time with great success, as it had the highest participation of all previous events<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Angela Gerekou<\/strong> pointed out, among other things, that: “Sustainability for us is not just a slogan. It is a core value that guides the policies and practices of the Greek government.<\/strong> We work tirelessly to achieve a balance between promoting tourism and preserving our natural and cultural heritage. Today we are committed to further integrating technology and sustainable practices to ensure that our tourism remains both innovative and environmentally responsible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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    the President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Ms Angela Gerekou<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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    From the ancient wonders that continue to fascinate the world to our modern hospitality infrastructure, we focus on offering a different and enriching experience to every traveller. As we embark on this journey together in Athens, our shared commitment to promoting Europe as a top travel destination leads us to seize the opportunity to build bridges, promote cooperation and inspire positive change. And he concluded: “Greece is more than just a destination. It is a testament to the enduring spirit of cooperation that elevates the industry as a whole<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n

    Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of the<\/strong> EuropeanTravel Commission<\/strong> (ETC), sent his <\/strong> thanks for the Greek event to the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) “We appreciate the hosting of the ETC Annual Meeting 2024 by the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Athens provided a fantastic backdrop to deepen our research and marketing agenda for 2024, with a strong focus on sustainability and accessibility for all.<\/strong> We also addressed the pressing impact of climate change on tourism in Europe and the promotion of responsible travel practices, drawing inspiration from successful strategies across the continent.”<\/p>\n

    Tasks-Topics <\/strong><\/p>\n

    The ETC annual meeting in Athens was distinguished by the largest participation of delegates so far compared to previous events. In the meetings open to the public, good tourism practices <\/strong>from ETC member countries and associated members such as Mastercard<\/strong> were presented – in the presence of guests of EOT from public and private sector bodies.<\/h5>\n

    The Tourism Board of Spain<\/strong> presented the results of a targeted campaign in international media abroad, A Tout france <\/strong>presented the challenge of organising the Olympic Games in Paris, while the Tourism Boards of Austria and Slovenia<\/strong> participated with presentations on sustainability. EOT presented the award-winning Greekend<\/a> campaign for Athens and Thessaloniki and the relevant case study from its cooperation with Amadeus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Finally, on the 2nd day, the following took place special workshop on accessibility issues in tourism by ENAT<\/strong> (European Network for Accessible Tourism) where the ETC member countries had the opportunity to learn about the European Union legislation, the concept and conditions of accessible tourism and to exchange know-how on an issue that has been prioritised by all member countries.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    After the end of the conference, the EOT offered its guests a technical visit to the Mesogeia and the Attica Botanical Park <\/a>, where they enjoyed the magic of nature and the authentic flavours of Attica, under the bright light of the Attica sky.<\/p>\n

    Info<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    TheEuropean Travel Commission (ETC<\/a>)) was founded in 1948 and the E.O.T. is one of its 19 founding members. It is a non-profit organisation with National Tourism Organisations as members, which aims to increase the flow of tourists from other countries to Europe as a result of marketing activities and the exchange of ideas and experiences for the benefit of each member individually and the group as a whole.<\/p>\n

    Athens<\/a>, on the initiative of the Greek National Tourism Organization, has taken over the organization (from 7-9\/2\/2024) of the 9th<\/sup> MARKET INTELLIGENCE GROUP (MIG) and MARKETIN GGROUP (MKG) ANNUAL MEETING of ETC on “PIONEERING ACCESIBLE AND CLIMATE -FRIENDLY DESTINATIONS”, which is a basic direction of the communication strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization for the promotion of Greece abroad, aiming to highlight the country as an eco-friendly and sustainable destination with proposals for authentic experiences off the beaten track.<\/p>\n

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     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    On the initiative of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), theEuropean TourismCommittee (ETC-9 th MIG and MKG Annual Meeting) was organised this year in Athens (7-9 February), focusing the attention of the European tourism community on Greece and Attica.     Participants-representatives from 28 tourism organisations from European countries and for the first time from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,120,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epikairotita-en","category-ellada-en","category-taxidia-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13294"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13297,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13294\/revisions\/13297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}