After two consecutive terms as President of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), Angela Gerekou has announced the end of her tenure, leaving behind a legacy of strategic outreach and efforts to promote Greece as a top global tourism destination.
In her farewell message, she wrote:
“After two consecutive terms as President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, I feel the need to share a few thoughts.
I served this role with dedication, with faith, with deep love for Greece, and with the unwavering belief that tourism is not just about strategy or statistics—it is culture, it is dignity, and it is our national identity, communicating to the world who we are.
I gladly accepted the Prime Minister’s honorable offer to lead the GNTO Board, our country’s national gateway for promotion. A body I have always supported, from every position I held over the years, even under demanding, adverse, and constantly changing conditions.
I sincerely thank the Prime Minister for his trust. I also thank all the Board members over the years.
Together with my outstanding colleagues, employees, GNTO executives, tourism professionals, institutions, and international bodies, we gave our soul, our ideas, our resilience, and our creativity.
We faced crises, rose to the occasion, and most importantly, kept the core of our national tourism identity and international presence strong and alive.
Through hard work and collective effort, we managed to meaningfully strengthen the GNTO.
We repositioned the organization as a body of international stature, national confidence, and cultural outreach.
I hope and wish that this foundation continues to be built upon—with consistency, vision, and respect for its journey.
My heartfelt thanks go to former Secretary General Mr. Dimitris Fragakis and current Secretary General Mr. Andreas Fiorentinos for their genuine, substantial, and productive collaboration, for the trust, the shared vision, and the sense of responsibility that united us.
Personally, I never sought titles without substance, nor roles without responsibility.
For me, tourism has never been a file to be reorganized or a brand to be measured in slides or indexes.
It was—and remains—together with culture, a national asset.
Tourism is the soft form of foreign policy around the world.
Because promoting a country is not a ‘tool’—it is a mission.
And such a mission is not simply carried out—it lives within you.
The vision of a tourism model that is balanced, human-centered, high-quality, and rooted in culture and authentic local identity will continue to inspire me.
Because Greece deserves to be showcased not just as a destination—but as a life experience.
And no vision ends with a position. Nor is work invalidated—it leaves a lasting mark.
I carry the GNTO and its people with me—as an experience, as a responsibility, as a part of my soul.
I thank you all deeply and sincerely—whatever we achieved, we achieved together.
To the new President of the Board, Ms. Angeliki Varela, and the entire Board of Directors, I wish not just success, but responsible consistency—because roles are temporary, but responsibility is not.
Wishing strength and a smooth continuation to all!”
