The investments in tourism and the tourism education were the focus of a meeting on Monday between the visiting chief of World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili and the Tourism Ministry leaders.

Pololikashvili said that Greece served as an excellent model of tourism action, and focused in particularly on the ministry’s plan to establish an international tourist education centre in Greece. He said that the WTO and the minister had discussed sustainable tourism, an issue important to several other WTO members as well, and said he supported the minister’s plans for a joint startup competition that would encourage investors to participate.

On his part, Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said that the collaboration with the general secretary was constructive, focusing on innovation and sustainable tourism growth as well as on the exchange of the best practices among countries.

Meanwhile, Theocharis informed Pololikashvili that Greece will promote the importance of tourism at the EU, in order to boost the level of support to the tourist industry.

At a press question on the repercussions of the coronavirus to the tourist industry, Pololikashvili said that any evaluation right now would be premature. The earliest an assessment will be ready is end of March, he said.

Theocharis responded that besides cancellations from China, the repercussions on Greece are not serious. In addition, heaid that relations with China are old and strategic, something that will not change with the current conditions. In any case, he noted, the priority is not to increase the number of tourist arrivals but the revenues from tourism.