It was outvoted the evening of Wednesday in the Plenary Session of the Parliament the bill of the Ministry of Tourism on “Provisions for the Strengthening of Sustainable Tourism Development”. Now, with the new law, as emphasized in today’s announcement by the ministry, the strengthening of sustainable tourism development, the upgrading of the quality of the tourist services provided and the establishment of a structure for the scientific monitoring of developments in the tourism sector are promoted. At the same time, organizational and operational issues of the Ministry of Tourism are regulated.

With the provisions of the law:

– The Regional Tourism Council is established. Institutional status is given to an advisory body, with an extremely critical role in the planning, formulation and implementation of the national tourism policy. In this way, the diffusion of the national strategy throughout the territory, synergies and dialogue with the local government are promoted.

– The establishment of the Wine Tourism Council is envisaged, with the aim of informing the Minister of Tourism about wine tourism development issues, as well as ensuring the promotion and promotion of this form of tourism as well as the wineries and production units that can be visited.

– The Observatory for Coastal and Marine Tourism in the Mediterranean is also established in the Ministry of Tourism, following a relevant provision in the memorandum with the World Tourism Organization, as coastal and marine tourism are a real catalyst for economic development in the wider region.

– In a further provision, the more efficient operation of the National Observatory of Sustainable Tourism Development is ensured through the interoperability of its communication network with other information systems and registers of the public sector, with the aim of formulating targeted policies to highlight the country’s tourism product.

– The transfer of unallocated amounts of the “Tourism for All 2022-2025” program is foreseen, in order to ensure faster and more efficient absorption and implementation of the B’ cycle of the “Tourism for All” program, with broader and targeted social criteria.

In other articles, details are regulated for the more efficient and modern operation of the services of the Ministry of Tourism vis-à-vis citizens and businesses, ensuring the goal of protecting legitimacy.

From the floor of the Parliament, the Minister of Tourism Lady Olga Kefalogianni he emphasized that this is a first but necessary legislative step, resolving necessary and urgent issues in the direction of drawing up a new policy for Greek tourism, which responds to modern challenges, such as the effects of climate change, intense competition and geopolitical instability. Afterwards, the Minister referred to the solid foundations laid for Greek tourism as early as 2012, when the effort to revive it began, in the midst of an economic crisis. He recalled the initiative he had for the enactment of Laws 4179/2013 and 4276/2014, which enriched and placed new tourist products on the market, while the institutional framework was created to attract tourist investments by strengthening the role of the Promotion Service and Licensing of Tourist Investments (E.Y.P.A.T.E.) as a one stop shop service at the Ministry of Tourism. He then stated that it is the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis that has brought Greek tourism back on the path of development, increasing investment and employment, while it has already created the right conditions for a new decade of development focused on sustainability, the strengthening of social cohesion and respect for people, local communities and the natural environment. The goal, as the minister underlined, is the composition of a tourism product that will be a model in the increasingly competitive international environment.

It was mentioned next to the central objectives of the Ministry of Tourism, such as the diffusion of tourist flows in the 13 Regions of the country with a further extension of the tourist season as well as the enrichment and diversification of the tourist offer. As she pointed out, the first calls for projects financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund were published today, while specific interventions are being promoted in the institutional framework that will concern the upgrading of ski centers and mountain refuges, as well as the simplification of the licensing of tourist ports and shelters.

Additional central goals are the strengthening of the image and identity of the Greek tourist product and the upgrading of national tourism education and training, for the achievement of which projects financed by the TAA have also been launched. Finally, the minister referred to a horizontal goal of high importance, which concerns the improvement of accessibility to Tourism. As Mrs. Kefalogianni underlined, this will be achieved by creating truly accessible destinations and for this reason the Ministry of Tourism is immediately proceeding with the establishment of a relevant Working Group, in order to examine in depth the problems faced by people with disabilities in their tourism activity. At the same time, a project funded by TAA has been launched which includes the creation of infrastructure on many beaches in the country.

In closing, he pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism continues its work, which can lead Greek tourism to a new cycle of development. At the same time, it lays the foundations for strengthening the quality characteristics of Greek Tourism, the main lifeblood of the Greek economy, which actively supports the government’s policy for more and better jobs, for sustainable investments and for the collective progress of the country.