His optimism about the course of the tourist season of 2025, despite the geopolitical and economic challenges, is interviewed by Alexander Vassilikos, president of the Hellenic Chamber of Greece and President of Hortec.

As he notes: “We are in a state of international uncertainty. The horizon shades inflation, expensive transport, war operations, geopolitical and economic competitions, threats of recession for European economies. Nevertheless, we still see a high tourist demand. ” However, he notes that this development “should not reassure us or give us the impression that it will be so forever.” He emphasizes that “so far we have no worrying signs on the level of reservations and air slots for Greece”.

Focusing on the viability bet on Greek tourism, Mr. Vassilikos points out that “steps are being taken and important. Like the fact that the FIZO proposal has passed with the recent bill passed on the ranking of hotels on sustainability criteria and will be presented in detail in the coming weeks. “

Regarding the direction that funding tools should have in the coming years, the FIEU president stresses that especially smaller businesses must be supported in order to achieve the green and technological transition that will also identify their future.

Special mention also makes short -term lease, stressing that the government took some steps to balance the phenomenon, but notes that “we are still far from the proven practices that have been followed abroad and have brought results. We remain the only western country that does not have a substantial regulatory framework for short -term lease. And so the devastating consequences of the immense development of the phenomenon of society and the identity of cities and destinations are intensifying. “

Concerning the housing problem and its connection to short -term leasing, Mr Vassilikos stresses that “the market lacks 200,000 homes, while according to data available there are over 300,000 properties on a single short -term platform”. “These are major issues that we must finally solve through a discussion of sustainable perspective and common sense and certainly not fanaticism and rivalry,” he says.

Following is the full text of Alexandros Vassilikos, president of the Hotel Chamber of Greece and President of Hortec at the Athens-Macedonian News Agency and Maria Tsivgeli.

Q: You just returned from Oslo where the 90th HOTREC General Assembly took place. As president of the Confederation of European Hospitality, based on your contacts and information, how do you see things going to Greece and Europe for the 2025 season?

A: We are in a state of international uncertainty. The horizon shades inflation, expensive transport, war operations, geopolitical and economic competitions, threats of recession for European economies.

Nevertheless, we still see a high tourist demand. This, of course, should not be reassured, or the impression that it will be so forever. Although in the post-Covid period we see a consumer behavior that puts travel on priority, there is no doubt that demand will be affected at some point.

The fact that there is unfortunately a tendency to over -taxation of the tourism product certainly does not take into account the elasticity that demand may show. There must be attention because there are alarming messages from some European economies that are key markets for Greek tourism.

We should realize that the hospitality industry is inextricably linked to the European and world economy. For example, the possibility of a large scale of redundancies in the German automotive industry under the pressure of duties and strict timetables for the “green” transition would significantly affect the disposable income and thus the tourist demand for our country. That is why it is very important that the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas has already been active, stressing that the EU will do whatever it takes to protect the leadership position of its automotive industry.

Summarizing, however, we have no worrying signs at the level of detention and air slots for Greece. But I repeat that the reading we do should not only be quantitative but it also has to include qualitative characteristics.

It is the time for strategic decisions, because if things get worse we will blame us and no one.

Q: Who should be the central core of this strategy you are referring to?

A: We only have a road ahead and is the way of authenticity. Every other, sooner or later, leads to dead ends. This is true for both Greece and Europe as a whole.

It is authenticity that guarantees our position on the world map and makes the Schengen zone the first destination in the world and is the one that will keep us at the top. We do not need to copy other models. We have our model in a global market that started with 25 million tourists in 1950 and we have reached 1.4 billion today.

In a market that evolves exponentially we need to know what our position is. Maintaining our identity is “alpha and omega”. And it is about culture, culture, tradition, gastronomy. It concerns a quality primary production that must be market -oriented rather than subsidies.

Without authenticity we risk losing great comparative advantages. That is why every local community, every destination must make its own choices with respect to its profile and its particularity.

Of course there will always be mass tourism, but every destination must plan how its “next day” will look like. Obviously not everyone can become Mykonos or Santorini and it would not be rational to do. Spain has an Ibiza, it doesn’t have ten. There is a very large palette of choices and the basic is for every local community to decide what wants to leave her inheritance to her children.

Beyond that, actions are certainly needed on a larger scale. A simple example: should our ports be upgraded? From the simplest – fuel and water supply to the supposed more complexes, such as having LNG supply infrastructure? I was recently informed that a newly -built tourist tourism vessel in the tourism sector, which is the modern definition of a luxury cruise, cannot include Greece from its routes because our ports do not have a LNG supply system.

Wherever we look, there are issues that require design and answers synchronized with global trends, where the viability bet plays a central role.

Q: Do you think Greek tourism will win the viability bet?

A: Steps are made and are important. Like the fact that the FIZO proposal has passed with the recent bill passed on the ranking of hotels on sustainability criteria and will be presented in detail in the coming weeks.

It is clear that it also gives the direction that funding tools should have in the coming years. Especially smaller businesses must be supported in order to be able to achieve the green and technological transition that will determine their future.

But this tendency must also support local infrastructure. It is not enough to be the “islets” of viability in a sea indifference sea. It cannot make the hotel recycling but the local municipality does not apply the legislation that requires to reduce the cleanliness charges proportionally.

The Greek hotel can pioneer and will pioneer, but it is certainly a horizontal effort to be made by everyone. These issues cannot be in the “automatic”. Tourism is a mirror of the national image and that is why partnerships and investment requires.

Q: The housing, as it appeared by recent government measures, is one of the biggest problems for Greek society today. Given that the problem is directly affected by short -term leases, how do you see their landscape today?

A: Landscape in the fog. Indeed, the current government has taken some steps to balance the phenomenon of uncontrolled growth of short -term leases after years of inaction of previous rulers. Unfortunately, however, we are still far from the proven practices that have been followed abroad and have brought results. We remain the only western country that does not have a substantial regulatory framework for short -term lease.

And so the devastating consequences of the immense development of the phenomenon of society and the identity of cities and destinations are intensifying.

Whether they are schools that reduce departments because there are no families and children, as is the case in historical areas of Athens, or because locals leave in islands because it is more in their interest to rent their home in short -term leasing and moving elsewhere.

For the mortgage you mentioned, we read that the market lacks 200,000 homes, while according to the data available to us there are over 300,000 properties on a single short -term platform, Airbnb. What else do we need to say after that?

These are major issues that we must finally solve through a discussion of sustainable perspective and common sense and certainly not fanaticism and rivalry. If we do not sit methodically all that we ask for more than a decade to do everything else is “aspirins”. There has to be a great incision, clarifying what we want. If we just want a quantity and count heads at the airports or if we need to worry about the fact that the average per capita costs fall and that there are destinations where their carrying capacity should be strongly concerned.

Q: Finally, as you mentioned the carrying capacity, how do you judge the growing public debate on over -tourism?

A: Look, we must finally look at the reality and give solutions and not stay in the descriptions.

Recycling a debate about whether or not we have over -tourism makes no sense when, for example, a port is filled with sewage because the local infrastructure network cannot cope.

The issue is not the sign but the fact that there is a problem. And there are now destinations that show points that need to be seriously concerned.

If a destination, for example, has 10,000 homes, should we not discuss how much can be marketable through short -term lease? Is it the same to be 500 with being 2000 or 4000? What is the balance that takes into account the development of the local community?

Should we not concern us that we remain the only western country without spatial planning, despite the fact that the long -standing waters in this issue are finally moving?

The hospitality industry creates value for everyone, for our national economy, employment and our local communities. The future of the country is linked to the future of hospitality, as hospitality is inextricably linked to the viability and maintenance of our destinations. Is it a coincidence that the two regions of the country with a positive demographic index are the southern Aegean and Crete?

That is why we need to see reality and the future through a national prism and create the conditions for our destinations to protect and local communities flourish.