No plan for promoting Attica as a tourist destination

I strongly condemn the current administration of Attica Region, launched with the submission of eight questions by the regional faction “Power of Life”. The former regional authority accuses the current administration of failing to take advantage of the valuable legacy of the former authority, essentially canceling all the provisions and actions that had been taken to establish a modern tourist identity for Attica.

The full text follows:

8 questions requiring answers from the Regional Administration

After 16 months of inactivity in the field of tourism development and promotion, the Regional Administration, with the proposals it submitted to the Regional Council unfortunately confirmed the complete lack of an integrated plan, and especially today, a period pandemic which is also severely affecting tourism, with 100,000 employees and approximately 700 hotel businesses in Attica, catering businesses, and indirectly many other commercial activities.

The Administration is not making use of the valuable legacy left behind by the Administration of the Force of Life., establishing its modern tourist identity (brand) of Attica as a metropolitan destination to an international audience as a destination for short breaks and delivering a substantial stock of actions, material, and programs for use by the next administration. The current Regional Authority chose not to utilize any of these., keeping quiet about them.

Lagging behind in specialized tourism initiatives due to a lack of political will, the administration with its choices for An unrealistic budget of €9 million and actions that lack coherence raise more concerns, questions, and doubts than they provide solutions.

Eight indicative questions:

1. What's up with Film Office; What are the costs of mapping?hof, referred to in the Budget of the current Regional Authority?; Since we already know that the previous management of the Life Force had secured the necessary expertise to provide it to all regions, EKOME.
2. What does the development and promotion of specific forms of tourism in Attica consist of?; Why are the individual actions and categories of expenditure not specified?;
3. How is it possible to separate and charge separately for swot analysis in the «Roadmap for the Development of Thematic Forms of Tourism» from the main body of a study, even though it is a prerequisite for it?;
4. How is it possible to plan familiarization trips for journalists and tourism professionals (fam–press trips) that require physical presence in Attica, amounting to €156,000 annually (for this year) and a total of €812,000 (!) over three years, while we are in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic?;
5. Why is there no provision for the need to implement visitor safety protocols in Attica? which has been severely affected by the pandemic?;
6. Why is money being given by the Region for tourist satisfaction surveys when the same survey is already conducted on an annual basis by the Athens, Attica, and Argosaronic Hotel Association?;
7. Why is there a provision for the creation of budget forms worth €359,000 for three years, when the form is now considered outdated and out of step with modern marketing practices?;
8. How can this obsession with anachronistic advertising campaigns, such as classified ads, be explained? in print which have been linked to practices of squandering public funds on friendly media outlets?;

Although the Life Force had submitted proposals to revamp tourism promotion for the benefit of those working in tourism and the national economy, the Administration has chosen to downgrade the promotion of tourism in Attica.