«The interconnection of the primary sector with the tourism, is now, strategic choice for the next day», stressed the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Manos Konsolas in his speech at the 5th Agricultural Business Summit, organised online by the The Economist.
Ο State Secretary for Tourism referred to a coherent plan for the linking tourism with gastronomy, the products of the primary sector, the Greek countryside and manufacturing enterprises, in order to integrate all these into our tourism product.
Manos Consolas pointed out that the pandemic has brought about significant changes in tourism. One of these is that visitors are looking for different rhythms, different from mass tourism. They do not want crowds, their searches in a place are different, they are looking for authentic places to spend their holiday time, staying in nature, in a healthy environment and human rhythms.
As he said, in these new conditions, the conditions for the development of agrotourism and the effective interconnection of the primary sector with tourism are created through actions such as:
- the possibility of creating tourist accommodation in wine tourism ή agritourism businesses, without the current restrictions,
- the operation of complex tourist accommodation including agrotourism activities,
- the establishment of incentives for the creation of joint ventures and partnerships between businesses active in the tourism sector, such as hotels and restaurants, and rural businesses and schemes.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism made special reference to the gastronomic tourism and food safety, stressing that the gastronomic identity of each destination should have a certification, be linked to local quality standards by which providers will be certified, based on quality and agri-food security, receiving the special certification mark.
The certification, he said, will apply to tourist accommodation, agrotourism facilities and the catering sector.
Manos Consolas said, «The next day for tourism, we as a country must be one step ahead. We must develop new forms of tourism, invest in quality.».
