New body to boost tourism
The government and tourism professionals will work together more closely to promote the country, as the Tourism Development Ministry and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) decided to set up a joint committee to coordinate and monitor marketing and advertising efforts. The decision was taken yesterday by Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos and SETE president Nikos Angelopoulos, the aim being for the committee to convene once every month. The committee’s role will be chiefly advisory and its duties will include the formulation of proposals for furthering Greek tourism interests, particularly with respect to foreign tour operators. Spiliotopoulos said that one of the objectives will be to monitor traditional markets, such as Great Britain and Germany, ahead of the next tourism season. Angelopoulos referred to emerging markets in Eastern Europe, saying that the rise in arrivals from these was also due to the speeding up of visa procedures by the Greek Foreign Ministry.
