Τhe 11th General Assembly of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels has been successfully completed during the first day of Xenia trade show, Saturday, November 25th. The assembly was attended by hundreds of hoteliers as well as a significant number of important members of the Ministry of Tourism and other national institutes of the Greek sector.
Mr Alexandros Vasilikos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels was the first to address a “welcome” speech from the podium. Mr Vasilikos -among other things- referred to the difficulties Greek businesses have to face due to inflationary pressures, the wars in Palestine and Ukraine, but also the climate crisis, all of which will have significant effects on the hospitality model as we know it. He also expressed the sector’s disappointment concerning the lack of severe legal measures for short-term rents, whilst he underlined his view that the small family hotel is “the soul” of greek Tourism and for this reason we need to ensure that it will continue to thrive, since it is one of our country’s main touristic competitive advantages. He also announced that in spring, Rhodes will be hosting the HOTREC’s European Convention, focused on the climate change. Finally, he stressed that, regardless of the challenges, he remains optimistic “because we have proved our ability to endure and to adjust. Now is the time not to simply follow the trends, but to create them”.
Alexandros Vasilikos
Olga Kefalogianni
Then, the Greek minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, took her place at the podium to congratulate the HCH for its members’ exceptional professional standards. She also expressed her confidence about the numbers of foreign tourists that will visit Greece during the year to come. Finaly, she referred to the financial support of the touristic sector with 378 ml euros from Greek National Recovery and Resilience Plan, stressing the government’s goal to enhance the image of Greece as an international touristic brand.
Then, the new president of SETE, Mr Giannis Paraschis, addressed to the audience stating that 2023 will be a new pivotal year for Greek tourism in terms of international tourist arrivals and revenue, whilst he underlined that everyone should work for the development of the sector, always keeping in mind the need for sustainability.
Subsequently, the director of HCH, Mrs Agni Christidou reported the initiatives of Research Institute for Tourism during the last year and then, Mrs Katerina Argiropoulou, Assistant Professor at the Secondary Education Department (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) presented the educational material of the project “Learning Hospitality” addressed to students of 3d grade.
Finally, the president of the Research Institute for Tourism, Mrs Dina Svinou, referred to the studies of the Institute during 2023 and the Assembly was completed with the presentation of 3 startups, which have been supported by the CapsuleT bussiness accelerator.
