Written by Nikolas Kelaiditis, president of the Association of Tourist and Travel Agencies in Greece (HATTA)
- Financing, energy, licensing and innovation: which measures can change the landscape and which sectors risk being left behind
This year’s Thessaloniki International Fair highlighted an ambitious package of measures aimed at strengthening Greek entrepreneurship. At the heart of the plan are financial tools, tax breaks, energy programs and a new extroversion strategy. If all of these work out, the Greek economy could take a significant step towards sustainable development. However, if they remain only in the form of announcements, they risk being lost in a familiar landscape of bureaucracy, delays and unequal access.
Financial tools, such as the new TEPIX and loans through the Development Bank, give oxygen to small and medium-sized enterprises. They facilitate renovations, investments and modernization. The risk, however, is obvious: very small enterprises are often excluded, since they do not meet banking criteria. The same applies to energy upgrade programs, which, although necessary, require time to pay off and leave the costs high in the meantime.
Tax relief has clear political weight. They relieve the middle class and give a boost to consumption, but do not drastically change the business environment. The structure of the tax system remains heavy, with high contributions and complexity. Therefore, the benefit is more relief than reform.
The most critical bet lies in the simplification of licensing and the National Strategy for Extroversion. Exports and the international presence of Greek businesses are essential for growth, but if bureaucracy is not addressed, the vision risks remaining theoretical. Experience shows that Greece has repeatedly fallen behind in implementing simple, transparent and fast procedures. This is where the biggest risk lies.
Innovation is the long-term asset. R&D funding, university-business partnerships, the creation of funds for medicines and technological solutions are the foundations for a high-value economy. But infrastructure, an ecosystem and policy consistency are needed. Without these, innovation will remain a nice idea without substance.
Tourism is the most typical example of how measures can bring different results by sector. For hotels, energy is the largest cost factor. Subsidies and green upgrades can improve sustainability and increase competitiveness. At the same time, access to financing for renovations paves the way for upgrading services and experiences. The risk here is unequal access: large units will benefit more, leaving smaller units behind.
For travel agencies, the future is determined by extroversion and digitalization. If they do not gain access to new markets and do not invest in modern tools, they risk losing out in the competition with international online platforms. Investments in CRM, online booking and artificial intelligence tools can make a difference. However, smaller players often do not have the means to follow.
The scenarios up to 2030 show the range of possibilities. In a success scenario, hotels will have reduced their energy costs, offered sustainable experiences and diversified their products. Travel agencies will have opened up new markets and will operate with modern technology. In a failure scenario, we will see continued dependence on a few markets, high operating costs and margin compression. The partial scenario leaves room for progress, but also continuing obstacles from bureaucracy and unequal distribution of benefits.
TIF 2025 was not poor in announcements. It put on the table measures with immediate benefit, such as financial tools and energy interventions, medium-term challenges such as extroversion and licensing, and long-term investments such as innovation. The question is whether these will be implemented or will remain an empty letter.
For tourism, which is the engine of the Greek economy, success means sustainable development, market diversification and strengthening of competitiveness. Failure means stagnation and dependence. The bet is open and the next five years will show whether Greece can turn the TIF announcements into reality.
