V. Kikilias: The modernization and upgrade of 3-star hotels are introduced in the development law

The modernization and upgrade of 3-star hotels are introduced in the development law, stressed the Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, speaking on a show on ERT.

“The development law is a strategic tool for investments in the country. Today I had an extended discussion with the Deputy Minister of Development, Mr. Papathanasis, and I explained that the three-star hotels, which are 23% of the industry, are a very important goal for us to be modernized, upgraded and strengthened.

The bill also introduces the 3-star hotels in everything that has to do with their modernization and upgrading, in addition to all the other tools that existed.

I want to thank the Ministry of Development, because our suggestion is very important in the goal set by the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Government and the Ministry of Tourism, for the quality upgrade of our tourism product, so that we have more revenue per traveler “and this should be passed on and reach income for the average Greek family”, he noted.

“Government listens to the market”

The government supports the tourism professionals in practice, strengthening the winter tourism, Mr. Kikilias also stressed.

“The last two years have been a very difficult period for winter tourism and for mountain destinations. We have chosen to open the country for winter destinations and to support hotels and accommodation, as well as the city break.

Indeed, the holiday season went very well. I remind you that for the first time in their history, EOT and the Ministry of Tourism made and are campaigning abroad for winter tourism. In a few days we will start a campaign inside the country for winter destinations.

Also, from the RRF Recovery and Resilience Fund we have put in 320,000,000 of the investments that will be made, the ski resorts, the trails and the mountain shelters. It will be investments for infrastructure upgrade, digitization, education, access for the disabled, modernization and quality upgrade. A huge opportunity for the country’s tourism product in terms of investment, which will lead us strategically to the era of a sustainable tourism model.

And finally, with the inclusion of the beneficiaries in the support measures for the hotels initially until the end of the month, which I believe that if necessary they will be extended further.

This is support in practice. “For the first time, a Greek government is supporting tourism professionals, trade in tourist destinations, health care shops and thematic tourism in practice, with implemented policies that are directly seen by the beneficiaries,” he stressed.

As for the rest, the Minister of Tourism stated:

“Safety first priority for travelers in 2022

Our revenues from January to October 2021 reached 10.2 billion euros, while we had a very good November and December.

And the bookings I see for 2022 are going very well. We aspire, and we work hard for this, to have a very successful year in 2022. The Greek economy and Greek society need it. It is the biggest opportunity to stimulate the income of the average Greek family, it is the results from our work and our policy and our strategy for tourism for the coming year.

In October 2021 we had 30% more bookings for the summer than we had in October 2018 for the summer of 2019 before Covid.

This shows the great confidence of travelers and big players abroad in our country, based on the signal we have emitted in the last two years, of the serious response to the huge Public Health crisis.

And the first priority for travelers this year will be safety. They want to travel to destinations that are safe, that guarantee quality, safety and a unique tourist experience.

This makes us even stand out from the neighboring country, Turkey, which many believe will be more competitive due to falling prices.

We are a European country, we offer a unique quality tourism product, a unique tourist experience. We see that the tourist season extends until November. At the end of November and the beginning of December we had travelers in Rhodes, Crete, Attica and we are here to support, in terms of campaigns, essentially with measures and development tools, Greek tourism which is the locomotive of the Greek economy and everyone is looking forward to it.

We support the city break that was tested hard

City hotels have been severely tested in the last two years of the pandemic. So we have the obligation and there are a lot of people, especially Europeans, who would like to travel for three days in the country, Friday, Saturday, Sunday for example.

To illuminate it strategically, to invest, to communicate it, running EOT campaigns abroad for the city break, mainly for Athens and Thessaloniki first, but which will be extended to other cities and this campaign will last 12 months.

Interministerial plan for the defense of the country’s tourism brands

In cooperation with the Presidency of the Government, we have prepared an inter-ministerial plan with the Ministry of Shipping, in relation to the measures that must be taken in the short, medium and long term to defend our tourism brands, and therefore our good testimony from outside, but also to help the inhabitants of our destinations, who are the ones who are mainly selected, but also the travelers, visitors and tourists.

We will start this summer by setting such parameters in the cruise first, enhancing the cruise, giving other, multiple choices of other destinations and islands.

In cooperation with CLIA, which is the international association of cruise companies and with the great professionals around the world, we will upgrade the quality of our product and protect the destinations.

What does this mean in practice? Will any cruise ship be able to reach these destinations? Of course. But with such a sequence, so that we can qualitatively offer visitors the tourist experience we want and not burden our islands and their inhabitants.

Cruise professionals themselves are interested in alternative destinations, magical, exceptional destinations of unparalleled beauty that we have in the country and we must enlighten them and make them known to travelers.

Listening to the experts, we are getting closer to the end of the huge Public Health adventure – Our biggest weapon is vaccination

With a sense of responsibility and with a huge amount of work and effort done by all our health professionals in the country, we managed in the way we handled the pandemic to rebrand the country abroad and support our tourism product.

It is an anxious question for every citizen what will happen to the pandemic, when will this huge public health adventure that cost lives and which I believe we have dealt with much better than many other countries in the world end.

By listening to those who are responsible and giving the right scientific guidance to society, we are getting closer and closer to the end of this vast adventure of Public Health.

If you expect to hear from me if it will be in a week, two weeks, a month or two or three, I will not do it. I have never done it during my tenure at the Ministry of Health for the last two years.

It is clear, however, that society has also learned to live with the virus and weapons exist. And the biggest of all is the vaccination along with the observance of the measures, the protocols, the mask. I believe that as a society we have shown great resilience and great condescension, faith and support to those who led this effort, who are mainly our health workers. There is also a part that does not accept to be disciplined, does not accept to be vaccinated. Everyone has the right to have their point of view, their opinion. What I have to advise everyone is we listen to and trust sources of information that can substantiate what they say.

It needs a lot of attention, people risked their lives or the lives of their family and friends or lost loved ones because they may have trusted or heard from unreliable people, unreliable sources and were unfortunately taken to a hospital or intensive care unit or intubated or lost their lives. their.

“Very much attention and great respect for human life.”