Tourism: challenges and priorities outlined by PM George Papandreou

Addressing the 19th General Assembly of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) on 4th May, Prime Minister George Papandreou outlined the priorities, the goals and the successes of the government policy in tourism sector and the promotion of Greece abroad. Papandreou focused on the simplification of the licensing process in tourist investments, stressing that tourism should be one of the basic pillars for boosting the Greek economy.
“In the coming months there will be a licensing simplification in investments and facilitation of visa issuing for nationals of emerging economies such as China and Russia. […] There will also be a reduction in the prices of sea transport tickets, as well as in landing and take-off fees at several airports,” said Papandreou noting that the tourism industry has been reporting positive signs as what is being offered is quality service at good prices.
Referring to the enormous potential of Internet and social networking, Papandreou hailed the online promotion of Greece via the official site of Visit Greece, the newly launched my-greece.gr, and through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
Prime Minister.GR: Tourism policy – Results (in Greek); YouTube: You in Greece Campaign [VIDEO]
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

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Greek PM Meets with Outgoing NATO Secretary General

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis met on Thursday (May 14) in Athens with the outgoing NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.  Pointing out that during Scheffer’s term the alliance was enlarged twice, while in the field of operations NATO was called to meet very demanding challenges, Karamanlis praised the efforts to promote the Alliance’s relations with Russia as well as the progress made in relation to Ukraine and Georgia and the countries of the ‘Partnership for Peace’, the ‘Mediterranean Dialogue’ and the ‘Istanbul Initiative.’  On his part, the NATO SecGen stressed that “Greece’s participation in NATO’s operations and missions was and still is very important.” He also referred to energy and internet security issues as well as to the participation of Greek Navy frigates in the efforts to combat sea piracy.  De Hoop Scheffer also met with Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and National Defence Minister Evangelos Meimarakis.

Digital Greece

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The percentage of Greek adolescents that had regular daily or weekly use of a computer reached 88.2% in the first quarter of 2008, while the percentage of children using the Internet totalled 71.7%, the National Statistics Service said on Monday. In a report on the use of information technology and communications by Greek households in 2008, the statistics service said the percentage of adolescents aged 12-15 years with access to the Internet totalled 84.9% in the first three months of 2008. The majority of the same age group that used either a computer or had access to the Internet, were based in their schools or their homes. Access rates from other areas, Internet cafes, public libraries, cultural and athletic clubs, reached 23.5% for computer use and 28.3% for Internet access. Commission of the European Communities: Country Profiles – Greece  (p.25) ; Information Society in Greece: Digital Strategy (2006 – 2013); Ministry of Economy and Finance: Fact Sheet on “Digital Greece” ; Greek News Agenda: Digital Greece: A Leap Forward 

Athens: Safer Internet Days

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The awareness campaign and the Athens office of the European Commission’s Safer Internet Day are holding a conference “Safer Internet Day 2009” today February 10 at the Press Centre of the Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information in Athens. 

Greek E-conomic Diplomacy

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     In an effort to meet the challenges of the digital era, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  presented yesterday January 13, its two internet portals for both the business community and civil society. Addressing the event, the Minister stressed that promoting economic diplomacy and capitalizing on international funds constitutes a fundamental policy on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially at a time when the dire economic situation calls for intensification of the assistance provided to the Greek business community. Accommodating the needs of the Greek business community to access information concerning potential business opportunities with partners abroad, the Ministry inaugurated the “Agora” internet portal, (www.agora.mfa.gr) providing information such as business directories, information on public tenders and procurements, as well as information on business missions and fairs. Moreover, 500 market researches and studies can be accessed through the website in addition to a full business guide to foreign bureaucracy and investment incentives law. Together with the enhancement of economic diplomacy, the Ministry set clear-cut goals to promote international development cooperation. The launch of the international funding portal (www.aidfunding.mfa.gr) aims at increasing NGO’s and Greek businesses’ share in funding by international financial institutions such as the World Bank, Europeaid and the UN network. Browsing through the interactive pages of the portal, one can gain access to integrated support services such as a database for tenders, on-line applications, information on training seminars and practical guides to transacting with international institutions. 

Greek Portal for Over 50 Citizens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   An internet initiative aimed at citizens over 50 now is now available in English and Greek. The www.50plus.gr/english website, established in 2005, provides information of interest to anyone over 50 years of age on issues such as employment, social policies, health and a variety of other subjects. “50+ Hellas” is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting the interests of the elderly and speaking out on their behalf. It is a member of AGE, the European Older People’s Platform, a European network of 144 older people’s organisations representing 25 million members and involved in influencing EU policy affecting older citizens.

Greek Museums Online

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  As Kathimerini daily reports, more and more Greek museums are grabbing the opportunity to get active on the Internet. Well-known museums as well as some of the smaller ones abroad offer digital exhibitions especially curated for the Internet, overflowing with plenty of detailed information. Examples include the National Museum of Contemporary Art (www.emst.gr )  blog, which is celebrating its first birthday (http://fixit-emst.blogspot.com); the Benaki Museum (www.benaki.gr) is fluent in Spanish; the Museum of Cycladic Art (www.cycladic.gr) has gone on Facebook and the National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.gr) has redesigned its website, with information now available in Greek, English, French and German.

Greece: “Fibre to the Home” Technology

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis and Transport and Communication Minister Kostas Hatzidakis discussed on July 30 the basic guidelines regarding the access of two million households and businesses to “Fibre to the Home” (FTTH) technology. FTTH is a network architecture that uses optical fibres to replace all or part of the usual copper local loop used for telecommunications. Past technologies, in order of an increasingly longer fibre loop, are fibre to the neighbourhood and to the building. The project is incorporated in the framework of the “Digital Strategy 2006-2013” and will help extend already existing digital structures and broadband network. On February 5, Hatzidakis said that Greece will invest €2.5 billion in fibre-networks, while the project will be implemented through the Public and Private Partnership. Fibre to the Home Council Europe: www.ftthcouncil.eu; see also: 3rd International Conference on Broadband Internet; Secretariat General for Information: About Brand Greece, Public and Private Partnerships in Greece