Happy New Year 2012
Hellenic Travelling and Travelling News wishes you all health, happiness and prosperity.
Traditionally, this month’s editorial would be a wrap up of our achievements and this year we would be boasting about what a record season we had if the money we (as a country) received from tourism was better and the economic and political condition was not deteriorating by the minute.
What is noteworthy is the fact that tourism is among the very few industries that has not been hit by the crisis we are going through, while contributing significantly to the countries finances, supporting employment, etc., etc. and all that with the absolute minimum promotion.
On the other hand we looking into the future with agony and insecurity. Tourism will again bring the millions of tourists we need. Although at the moment it looks like a wish, since its too far from really knowing what is going to happen in 2012, we know that we will work hard, with a lot of innovation, salesmanship and lots of luck from the land that was “Chosen by the Gods”.
So this year we decided to draw up the “Hellenic Tourism wish list for 2012”.
Here goes…
- The first thing that we lack of and would contribute significantly would be a hefty promotional budget run by people who know and are accountable for results.
- The second, if not first, is improvement of the counties infrastructure.
- Travel and tourism legislation to be rewritten by people of the industry and formatted by legislators.
- Automate, modernize, expedite (whatever the case) visa issuing.
- Remove all existing nonsense taxes, as well as exclude the industry of all the harsh taxes to come in 2012.
- Reduce VAT across the board for the travel and tourism industry.
- Establish a travel and tourism University.
- Create a world class study abroad program.
- A convention center(s).
- Subsidies for renovations and training for all travel and tourism enterprises.
- Incentives for investments in tourism.
- Increase of airlines to Greece, both scheduled and charter.
- Homeporting for cruise ships.
- Give Athens the glory it had during the 2004 Olympics.
Because this cannot be considered to be a complete “Hellenic Tourism wish list for 2012” we invite you to contribute by writing your wish bellow.
Wishing is good. Wishing drives us forward, impels us to make things happen.
My very best wishes for 2012 to you too.
For the time being, I will only strongly suggest you to write as first wish/priority your nr 7 wish “Establish Tourism & Travel University” followed, at near distance, by “Subsidies for Training for Tourism enterprises”.
The 2 factors in question will greatly help our people to better understand the real and general-wise importance of Tourism for our country .
Best regards
Michael Coveos
# 4. Automate & modernize: Yes. NO to expedite visa issuing since we
can’t take any more permanent tourists!
# 6. Definitely reduce VAT, lower airport taxes & landing fees for all flights.
# 7. Yes to the tourism university. Training for the young & older people.
As for promotion and advertising our land which self promotes itself to the
desperate northern European tourists who will always continue to come
enjoying our sun & sea no matter what. I’m confident.
Best regards,
Christina A. Stavropoulou
I have just been in Athens as a consultant chef for the Summer Restaurant Frame at St George Lycabettus, I have been promoting Greece and her islands and trying to negate the bad journalism that has been affecting your bookings. See the link to my video teaser, I will be back in Athens towards the end of July and then will be going to Santorini for the summer months to work from there. Social Media really is the way to go! http://youtu.be/CwZ_2gA7AUM