Greece is not among the top ten cultural and religious tourism destinations worldwide, despite the fact that it is internationally recognized as the cradle of Western civilization, while the most popular market worldwide is Italy, followed in order by France, Spain, China, and the United States.
The above is based on data collected as part of a study conducted by a consortium of companies consisting of Deloitte – Remaco consortium, on behalf of the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE), titled «Greek Tourism 2030 | Action Plans.».
Some of the key findings of the major 2021 study, which includes action plans for 36 Greek destinations, were highlighted today by Deloitte senior partner Stefanos Papanikos, during an event organized by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), INSETE, and Marketing Greece, on the occasion of the 37th Philoxenia in Thessaloniki, in the presence of Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias.
«Unfortunately, Greece (Editor’s note: in 2019, it attracted only 2.4 million such trips, compared to 7.2 million for Italy), despite its rich cultural and religious heritage, is not among the top destinations for this type of tourism. And this is happening at a time when mature European markets, such as Italy, France, and Spain, are placing a strong emphasis on and enriching their offerings with a focus on culture,» he noted, adding that the weaknesses of the Greek tourism product include a one-dimensional focus on classical antiquity, substandard infrastructure, the lack of high-quality tourist experiences related to cultural offerings, and the limited use of new technologies.
The Biggest Misconception About Greek Tourism
The fact that experiences—and the tourism product that stems from them—are often lacking in Greece, at a time when the discussion revolves almost exclusively around the need for visibility and promotion, was also highlighted by Ioanna Dretta, CEO of Marketing Greece.
«On the trips we take through Marketing Greece throughout Greece, what we often hear in second- or third-tier destinations is, “We need exposure to attract tourists.” The reality, however, is that in nine out of ten cases (of people who tell us this), the real need isn’t that—it’s the need for a product. And this, in my opinion, is the biggest misconception about Greek tourism. If we can collectively grasp the difference between a resource and a product, then we will bring tremendous added value to Greek tourism,» noted Ms. Dretta, citing the example of cultural tourism as presented by Mr. Papanikos: «Contrary to what we think, we are not particularly strong in cultural tourism. This is because a resource is one thing, and a product is another.».
He explained that placing an information card at the base of a statue—stating that it is a kouros, found at such-and-such a place and of such-and-such a height—does not provide a narrative, nor does it provide any kind of experience within the museum—on the contrary, audio tours, events held inside museums, and charming souvenir shops are what offer that experience.
Similarly, Greece’s beautiful mountains and natural beauty are simply a resource. «The product in these beautiful mountains is the well-marked, properly maintained, and signposted trails, which have a story to tell (…) This (the existence of a product), for those of us involved in promotion, is the greatest challenge for Greek tourism, and that is where we want to focus our efforts in order to realize the opportunity before us» noted Ms. Dretta.
«Today, in the wake of COVID-19, Greece has a huge advantage, given that all the major trends in the tourism sector are here (we can capitalize on them in our country),» he noted, adding that this situation calls for major changes, and in most cases the challenge lies not in marketing and promotion, but in the product itself.
"Strategy" is one of the most misused terms in Greece
Similarly, synergies—for example, between the public and private sectors—are not only necessary but also self-evident, and what we need to focus on now is the quality of that collaboration. «Simply issuing a joint press release and staging a photo opportunity is not cooperation,» he said pointedly.
He also made special mention of the concept of strategy in the tourism sector in Greece: «Strategy is one of the most misused terms in our country. Strategy does not mean promoting everything, everywhere, and all the time… that’s just political balancing and equalization. The focus of strategy is one of the most central issues when we talk about tourism,» he pointed out.
He added that when a Greek brand ranks among the top five in the world and Greece tops the list of all tourist markets, we cannot welcome tourists at the airport with banners that say «no receipt, no pay»: «We must realize that we are market leaders and that leaders speak like leaders,» he concluded._
Alexandra Guta
