Greek Tourist Confederation (SETE) President Andreas Andreadis gave his first forecast of the industry’s prospects for 2016, during the traditional Christmas meeting with the sector’s journalists today.
This year’s forecast is that there can’t be any forecast, at least before early March!
Yet, the only positive indication so far is that the data of airline seats planning for 2016, show an increase by 5% compared with 2014, adding 800,000 new air seats to Greece next year.
These figures exclude the Russian market, for which there is still no specific planning. Mr. Andreadis recalled, however, that last year’s planning at the respective stage indicated 2.1 million additional airline seats but, ultimately, only 600,000 extra air seats were allocated.
Critical external factors
The critical factors that will determine the course of tourist arrivals in 2016, according to SETE’s president are the following:
** The overhanging threat of new terrorist attacks, particularly in transport.
** Russian-Turkish relations’ improvement or further deterioration.
** Handling of the grave refugee problem, the evolution of immigrants flows and their management, especially in case of further ignition in Syria.
** The new procedure for issuing biometric Schengen visas for citizens of important markets, such as Russia, India, China etc. It is a new challenge against which our public services must adapt urgently and they have been characteristically very late, Mr. Andreadis underlined, predicting that the possible increase of Russian tourists this year will be limited to a few thousand, while it will take some years to reach the 2013 record levels.
Non Performing Loans
** In the interior, the implementation of the law for entrepreneurial Non Performing Loans (NPLs) is of the utmost importance for the recovery of private economy. Since October, SETE sought to allow companies to restructure their loans, on terms completely compatible with international financial-economic models. There is need for an institutional framework to enable the heavily indebted businesses requiring capital consolidation to settle their debts thoroughly, in order to restart on a sound basis within a reliable business plan, avoiding an intervening “closure” of the company, Mr. Andreadis pointed. Thus, the intervention in NPLs will become an important factor in the recovery of private economy.
** Positive contribution is expected in 2016 from the weaker euro’s exchange rate, the low price of oil, the ceaseless collective efforts of companies and workers and the ever improving picture of product quality and destination safety.
Tourism’s contribution
According to SETE data, in 2015, the sector’s employment volume rose by 6%, total earnings reached 4 billion euros, 200 millions more than 2014, and industry contribution to social security reached 1.7 billion euros. “Cooperation with the State has paid off, however it is necessary to accelerate the SETE proposed package for shielding Greek tourism for 2016,” Mr. Andreadis stressed.
Marketing Greece
He also put special emphasis on Marketing Greece, noting that the company has strengthened and expanded its activities during the year that ends in a few days, by implementing a very important project: In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), regions and local stakeholders, it has promoted Greek tourism product in key markets by communicating unique experiences and highlighting, with its multilevel campaigns the lesser known – but more beautiful – aspects of Greece. Discovergreece.com has become one of the major information hubs for Greek tourism, with nearly 2 million unique users and a digital community that includes more than 600,000 members.
MarketingGreece has already completed the Strategic Marketing Plan for the Central Macedonia and Central Greece regions and will soon act accordingly for the Peloponnese and South Aegean regions. These plans describe the actions to be implemented by each area and each offered product separately, creating a detailed roadmap to 2020.
They analyze the demand and supply data, competitive destinations, tourism products portfolios to be developed or strengthened, as well as communication platforms to promote destinations globally. They are the basis for strengthening and development of the consultative role of SETE both for cooperation with local authorities, and to implement the national strategy branding at regional and local level.
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