Human capital remains the strongest competitive advantage of Greek tourism, and investment in it is a fundamental prerequisite for maintaining and strengthening the sectors competitiveness. This was underlined by the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, during the event presenting the progress and results of the Action Reskilling and Upskilling in the Tourism Sector, which is implemented with resources from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
The action is specifically aimed at providing theoretical training and certification to seasonal workers, unemployed individuals, as well as employees whose contracts were suspended during the pandemic period. As the Minister noted, the response was particularly high, as within just three days more than 40,000 applications were submitted for inclusion in the Beneficiaries Registry, a number more than double the available positions.
According to the data presented, more than 18,000 beneficiaries successfully completed the program, with wide geographical coverage across the country, demonstrating both the need and the strong interest in skills upgrading in the tourism sector.
Ms. Kefalogianni pointed out that Greek tourism is a strong growth pillar of the national economy, having recorded historically high performance in recent years. Greece now ranks among the worlds top ten tourism destinations, while the available data to date indicate that 2025 is expected to be another landmark year, both in terms of arrivals and tourism revenues.
At the same time, the Minister highlighted that the strategy of the Ministry of Tourism focuses on the next day of Greek tourism, taking into account the new conditions shaping the international environment, changing trends in tourism supply and demand, shifts in travelers habits and preferences, intensifying competition, as well as rapid developments in digital technology.
The goal, as she emphasized, is the qualitative and sustainable development of tourism, twelve months a year and across the entire country. In this context, the quality and competitiveness of the tourism offering depend to a critical extent on the sectors workforce, who are the primary ambassadors of Greek hospitality.
Special reference was also made to the legislative interventions of the Ministry of Tourism aimed at strengthening the staffing and operation of tourism education schools. These include the recruitment of permanent teaching staff for the first time in nearly two decades, as well as the possibility for graduates of Higher Tourism Education Schools to be admitted directly to the final year of a related university department.
At the same time, plans are underway to utilize the buildings of the Ministry of Tourisms educational unitsthe former XENIA Helios hotelswith the aim of reviving the model of coexistence between a hotel and an educational institution, so that graduates enter the labor market having been trained under real working conditions.
In closing, Ms. Kefalogianni described the Reskilling and Upskilling in the Tourism Sector program as a point of reference for the design of the Ministrys next interventions, with even greater specialization and the aim of responding more fully to the needs of the tourism economy.
