Luxury tourism can increase travel receipts and extend the tourism season, said Tourism Development Minister Olga Kefaloyianni at the Mediterranean Luxury Travel Summit 2013 in Athens this week. The government is trying to attract more high-income tourists by facilitating the creation of marinas, conference centers, spas and golf courses, she stressed.
Deputy Development Minister Notis Mitarakis announced that European Union subsidies can be paid 100 percent in advance to firms that will apply for funding for new investments and offer guarantees, adding that banks will have a more active role in the EU funding process.
Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis noted that the Aegean should be the focus of tourism cooperation only for Greece and Turkey.
Meanwhile, international tourism arrivals at Greek airports posted a 19.2 percent annual rise in the year to September, exceeding 11.4 million visitors, the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises announced on Monday.
Source: Kathimerini
