Fees ‘make tourism less competitive’
The president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, Giannis Hatzis, speaking to Kathimerini about the measures announced by the government this month, notes that there is a significant risk of overburdening the country’s tourism industry. This, he warned, could undermine its competitiveness just as signs of weakening consumer purchasing power start to emerge.
Among other measures, the government has decided to raise the environmental tax on accommodation, to contain the growth of short-term rentals and to increase the levy for cruise passengers disembarking at a port.
Hatzis says that the increase in fees has sparked serious reactions among Europe’s largest tour operators. “The country’s economy depends to a very large extent on the travel balance as there is no short-term export development potential comparable to tourism. I wish there were, but there isn’t,” he pointed out.
He also calls for further regulation of the operating framework of short-term leases, as their uncontrolled growth fuels the debate about overtourism and leads to anti-tourism perceptions, while he appears cautious about the course of arrivals for next year.
