A preparatory working meeting for the organization of an annual or biennial International Congress on Olympus was held yesterday (March 12) at the initiative of the President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Angela Gerekou, in continuation of her actions to promote Olympus as an emblematic pillar of culture, sciences, and sustainable development.
This initiative is part of the high-level strategy for the promotion of the national megabrand “Olympus”, connecting it with the international academic and cultural community and establishing it as a central point of reference for cultural and scientific dialogue.
The meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Andreas Fiorentinos, the Deputy Governor of Pieria, Sofia Mavridou, the Thematic Deputy Governor of Tourism of Thessaly, Yianna Adamopoulou, the Deputy Governor of Larissa, Rena Galliou, the Mayor of Dion-Olympus, Vangelis Geroliolios, the Deputy Mayor of Elassona, Nikos Karanikas, the President of POTAP-DMO Pieria, Dimitris Karalis, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Pieria, Ilias Pitsias.
Olympus, an international hub for science, art, and sustainable development
Opening the discussion, Ms. Gerekou underlined that this initiative has deep roots, as the first relevant proposal had been formulated by her as early as 2012, when as President of the Parliament’s Committee on Regions she had invited local bodies to co-formulate a plan for the global promotion of Olympus, through the creation of an International Conference. In 2023, from her position as President of the Greek National Tourism Organization and as a guest of the Metropolitan of Kitros, Katerinis, and Platamonas, Georgios, she brought the proposal back to the bodies of Pieria, who responded immediately to her proposal.
“Today, we are at a turning point: with vision, cooperation and determination, we can make Olympus an international hub of sciences, arts and sustainable development with Man and the Environment as its central axis. The Conference we are planning is not just an event, but a strategic tool that will place Olympus where it truly belongs: at the forefront of the world,” the President of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) characteristically emphasized.
The General Secretary of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), A. Fiorentinos, assured the organization’s full support, emphasizing that the initiative is directly linked to the overall government strategy for the holistic development and management of Olympus based on sustainability and extroversion.
The representatives of Pieria and Larissa declared their readiness to contribute substantially, while Ms. Mavridou underlined the possibility of financial support for the project from the Region of Central Macedonia. For their part, the representatives of the Thessaly institutions focused on the need to highlight the comparative advantages of the region, strengthen primary production, and protect the identity of local communities through the actions of the Conference.
During the meeting, it was decided:
• The coordination action should be assigned to the institutions of Pieria, as they were the first to get involved in the project and have expertise through the newly established DMO, and
• The next meeting will be held with an expanded composition, in which representatives of Universities, Hoteliers’ Associations, Technical Chambers, other representatives of Primary and Secondary Local Government, as well as local MPs, will participate.
The meeting concluded with the commitment of all participants to move in a coordinated manner in the next steps so that the vision for the International Conference on Olympus becomes a reality.
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