Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni met yesterday with Japan’s Parliamentary deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Minoru Kiuchi and Senior Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Yosuke Tsuruho, during an official visit to Tokyo.
Kefalogianni and Tsuruho discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation in tourism, trade and finance, and explored the possibility of introducing direct flights from Athens to Tokyo.
Kefalogianni’s visit aims to introduce Greece as "a safe and welcoming country" to distant destination markets, and will be completed with a visit to earthquake-stricken city of Sendai.
- Second Best Exhibitor Award for Greece in ITB Berlin
Meanwhile, the Greek stand at the ITB 2013, came in second place in the Europe Category of Best Exhibitor Awards, held by students of the Cologne Business School (CBS).
The ranking was based on a series of criteria such as information content, service quality, interactivity and special effects. The CBS is considered a top business school in Germany.
- Kefalogianni @ Adenauer Foundation Event on Greek Tourism
On the sidelines of ITB Berlin, on March 7, Kefalogianni addressed an event entitled Greece on the path of development. Extraversion-tourism-investment, co-organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).
Kefalogianni described tourism as a mighty weapon against recession, accounting for 18-20% of the GDP and 20% of job posts.
She also placed emphasis on a national strategic plan to redesign the Greek tourism sector by streamlining procedures, improving the quality of services and upgrading communication strategies.
