The Region of Crete had a dynamic presence at the country’s largest international tourism exhibition, PHILOXENIA, which was held at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center from November 14 to 16.
The Region of Crete participated with its own stand, showcasing the beauties of our island and representative traditional products. As part of the exhibition, the island’s representatives held meetings with tour operators and professionals from Central and Northern European countries, as well as from the United States and Asia.
The exhibition, which this year turned 40, was described by the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, as “a mirror of hospitality and the course of Greek tourism”, while the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, stated that Philoxenia has been a “field of dialogue, interconnection and sharing of knowledge on tourism” for 4 decades.
The event was attended by 550 exhibitors and 4,350 business appointments were made, while the 40th Philoxenia conference, entitled “Philoxenia in a digital era: Beyond 4.0”, explored the changes brought about by digital transformation in the tourism experience.
The pavilion of the Region of Crete was visited, among others, by the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, the Deputy Minister of the Interior of Greece responsible for Macedonia-Thrace, Mr. Konstantinos Gkoulekas, the Secretary General of the Hellenic Tourism Organization (GNTO), Mr. Andreas Fiorentinos, the President of the GNTO, Ms. Angela Varela, the President of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr. Tasos Tzikas, the President and the Board of Directors of the Cretan Hospitality Association, the President and the Board of Directors of the of the Association of Hotel Managers of Crete, representatives of Regions, Municipalities and organizations from Greece and abroad, as well as representatives of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The delegation was led by the Deputy Regional Governor of Tourism Dr. Kyriakos Kotsoglou and the Deputy Regional Governor of Rethymno Maria Lioni. Also participating were the Head of the Tourism Directorate of the Region of Crete Nikos Alexakis, the Head of the Department of Tourism of the Regional Government of Rethymno Manolis Markantonakis, the Head of the Department of Culture & Sports of the Regional Government of Rethymno Argyro Vavouraki and the employee Paraskevi Bagouraki.
In a joint statement, Deputy Governors Maria Lioni and Kyriakos Kotsoglou pointed out:
“On its 40th anniversary, Philoxenia has joined us in this wonderful etymology, of friendship – and not just acquaintance – with the visitor. Its numbers may not be the largest, its foreign representations may not be the most numerous, however, it is our meeting place, our dialogue, our tourist organization and for it, we will always be there, with Crete, Everywhere!!”
