Her belief that the income from the tourism expected to exceed 20 billion euros in 2024, confirming the strategic importance of the sector for the sustainable development of the country, expresses in an interview with the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni.

At the same time, the minister points out that overall for 2024, Greek tourism not only maintained its momentum but further strengthened it, recording historically high performances, both in the first five months of the year, as well as in the months of September and October. “We therefore have the first tangible results of our strategic targeting to extend the tourist season. It is expected that 2024 will close as the new year-record for Greek tourism” underlines Mrs. Kefalogianni.

Focusing on the next year, he notes: “Already the first messages for 2025 are positive. We, at the Ministry of Tourism and the Hellenic Tourism Organization, continue with our strategy to further strengthen the competitiveness of Greek tourism and upgrade the country’s image, while we seek to open up to new target markets.”

Regarding the new bill of the Ministry of Tourism and the basic regulations for the short term leases that are included in it, Mrs. Kefalogianni emphasizes: “With the new bill of the Ministry of Tourism, we are taking a decisive step towards protecting safety and quality in the field of short-term rentals” and adds: “For the first time, a minimum operating framework is being established specifications and corresponding safety measures for short-term rented properties”.

He also makes special reference to the classification system of hotels based on their environmental performance, pointing out that the bill establishes a globally innovative classification system for main tourist accommodation, i.e. hotels, and optionally for non-main tourist accommodation, which was elaborated by Hotel Chamber of Greece in collaboration with Technical Chamber of Greece. “This system evaluates the environmental performance of hotels and incorporates principles of sustainability, offering additional promotion and competitiveness tools for businesses,” emphasizes Mrs. Kefalogianni.