Yanos Gramatidis | DHR Services

REDESIGNING POLICIES FOR TOURISM

Tourism is at the epicentre of growth as a major
export sector: export of beautiful remembrances of sites, archaeological areas, experiences, food etc. In combination with the sun and sea, Greek tourism has a clear competitive advantage and it can be combined with the growth of other sectors securing strong synergies.

This fact, the needs to extend the touristic season to 12 months, to support special kinds of tourism as i.e. medical, educational, religious, underwater, gastronomic and conventions tourism, together with the comparative geographical advantages of Greece should make tourism become one of the axes of a new long term strategy for growth focusing focus not any more on the numbers but on the quality of the arrivals and the size of visitors’ consumption.

Indicative actions needed:

Completion of the spatial planning of the country
Provision of tax and subsidy incentives for the creation of clusters per area
Provision of incentives for the creation of branded chains as i.e. all inclusive, boutique etc
Opening of new touristic destinations through the system of grants for infrastructure
Targeted marketing per destination depending on the particular characteristics of each place
Introduction of a special non-taxable reserve for reinvestment of profits in touristic infrastructures
Easing procedures for the issue of visa for countries of priority as i.e. China and Russia
Creation of best practices for the introduction of relevant trademarks, certification and intense control on all above by independent authorities
Improvement of policies and measures to reinforce the growth of city-breaks especially for Athens and Thessaloniki
Compensatory measures for the facing the high VAT through tax discounts
Emphasis should be given to the connection of tourism with culture, classical inheritance and traditional professions and products.

It is self understood that tourism should be the main subject and basic axe of a new National Strategic Plan. In this frame the intended increase of arrivals and revenues from inbound and internal tourism in Greece shall be mainly determined by the enrichment and the differentiation of the touristic product, as well as by the increase rhythm of the offer of internationally competitive services in the global market.

The explosion of touristic activity expected after the pandemic should mobilise all state authorities involved to design and implement measures that would magnify the growth of tourism taking advantage of this unique opportunity.

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CEO

Konstantinos Alexopoulos has been a professional in the Greek hospitality industry for two decades with extensive experience in hotel
management, operation and consulting. He is the CEO of Domotel Hotels & Resorts Group, which has a history of more than 15 years in its current form and a heritage in the hospitality sector which began in 1964. Additionally, he holds the position of CEO at DHR Services,
supporting hospitality brands through his extensive know-how in the industry; both positions are reinforced by his ten years of experience in the construction sector in Greece and the Balkans, which furthered his knowledge of local markets. Having completed his Degree as a Civil Engineer at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, he continued with a Master in Science in “Construction Economics and Management” in UCL and a Master of Arts in Hospitality Management in Middlesex University. Furthermore, he has attended two complementary training programs in finance and management at the University of Macedonia. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Tourism Enterprises Confederation (SETE) and the treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Institute of SETE, a member of the Leadership Committee of the Hellenic – American Chamber of Commerce and holds positions in a number of Boards of Directors of other organizations.

Vice President

After completing her Bachelor in Business Administration (Minor in Science and Economy) at the American College of Thessaloniki, she continued with an MBA in Hospitality Marketing at Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Switzerland and a Diploma of Higher Education in International Tourism “The French approach” from the Universite Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne. She has been running the family owned hotel for almost twenty years, initially as an Operations Manager and later on as General Manager and CEO. She has been a member of the Board of Directors in Thessaloniki’s Hotels Association and has participated as a guest speaker in several lectures and seminars such as Yield Managementin Les Roches (Bluche, Switzerland), and Operations Management Principles and Housekeeping Principles in CMH (Paris, France).