Greek regions that were subjected to tougher coronavirus-related restrictions will be the focus of more intensive promotion campaigns, Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said on Monday at the Thessaloniki Helexpo Forum, speaking on tourism and new trends.
Acknowledging the difficult economic times ahead due to the pandemic’s repercussions, the minister said that “for the next day, we will focus on Greece’s brand, on quality, and on all ways we can better use the 32 billion euros” from the European Union.
At the same forum on “Political economy and society, searching for balance”, Fraport Greece general manager of development George Vilos spoke of a drop in the number of airline passengers at all 14 airports the company manages between the first 8 months of 2020 and those of 2019. Last year’s figures amounted to 30.1 million passengers, he said. Work has been completed at 11 of the 14 regional airports; the airport on Kos is near completion, Thessaloniki will be completed by end-2020, and Santorini will be done by early 2021, he revealed.
Menawhile, Thessaloniki hotels registered low occupancy rates for the eight months (32 pct) and the month of August (20 pct). “The average annual turnover for 2020 will not exceed the wage costs of 2019,” Andreas Mandrinos, president of the local union of hoteliers said.
