GREECE TOURISM ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION

The Ministry of Tourism is the central government regulatory authority that formulates the country’s tourism policy. The Ministry is responsible for introducing legislative reforms in the tourism sector, planning tourism development and cooperating with other ministries in order to coordinate national policies which have an impact on the tourism sector. The Ministry’s main competences consist in:

• Formulating the national tourism policy;
• Suggesting measures for the effective operation of the tourism sector and monitoring performance thereof;
• Assessing the impact of tourism on national economy and society;
• Studying international tourism market conditions;
• Attracting, jointly with other Ministries, private investments in tourism;
• Cooperating with other Ministries for harmonising policies that affect tourism, aiming at enhancing tourism development and improving the quality and competitiveness of the national tourism product;
• Representing the country in tourism related international organisations, signing international and bilateral Agreements on Tourism Cooperation and harmonising the national legislation with European Community law on tourism related issues;
• Setting up tourism promotion programmes for the country or its regions, both for domestic and international markets;
• Policy making for upgrading the quality of tourism services;
• Assessing tourism education and training programmes and securing funds to finance them.

The Coordination and Implementation Authority of the Ministry of Tourism reports directly to the Secretary General of Tourism Infrastructure and Investment of the Ministry of Tourism and supports interventions, based on criteria and objectives that arise from the overall strategic tourism planning of the Ministry of Tourism and its cooperation with the supervised tourism bodies as well as the bodies representing the tourism entrepreneurs. In particular, its mission is to plan, coordinate and support the management and implementation of the actions of the Ministry of Tourism within the framework of the Operational Programmes of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), the Fisheries Operational Programme, the National Strategic Plan of Rural Development (NSPRD), the National Strategic Plan of Fisheries Development (NSPFD) for the programming period. In addition, said Authority participates in the preparation of the Ministry's positions in the context of the negotiation for the programming period 2014-2020 through case studies and specialised studies, illustrating the strategy and priorities of the Ministry but also through its participation in working groups whose goal is the specialization in individual projects in the tourism sector.

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) is a public entity supervised by the Ministry of Tourism. Its mission is to organize, develop and promote Greek tourism, within the country and abroad. The GNTO’S main competences consist in:

• Submitting proposals on the formulation of tourism policy;
• Implementing tourism policy as laid down by the Government;
• Establishing and implementing the country’s tourism promotion programme at a local, national and international level;
• Supporting public services, local authorities and other natural or legal persons in actions aiming at the promotion of tourism;
• Performing quality controls and supervising the tourism market in order to upgrade the tourism product.

GNTO consists of the Head Office located in Athens and 14 Regional Offices of Tourism, whose competences include among others:

• Licensing tourism accommodation facilities, travel agencies and other types of tourism businesses;
•  Inspection of tourism businesses;
•  Imposition of administrative sanctions on tourism businesses;
• Tourism information.

Finally, GNTO’s mission to promote Greek tourism internationally is carried out by its 17 Offices abroad, recently re-arranged geographically and administratively. There are also “tourism attachés” in the Greek embassies situated in countries where GNTO is not represented by one of its 17 offices abroad.

At the local level, local authorities (regions and municipalities) draw up and implement programmes and activities for tourism development and promotion in the area under their jurisdiction. These activities are not financed by central government; local authorities make use of their own resources or European programme funds. As regards tourism promotion activities in particular, it is mandatory for all public (national or local) authorities to obtain of prior approval of the Ministry of Tourism, with a view to harmonising their promotion plans with Greece’s overall promotion strategy.

Cooperation 

Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH): The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels has been operating since 1935 as a public entity. It is supervised by the Ministry of Tourism and plays an important role as a statutory advisor to the State on tourism issues. Its members are hotels operating in Greece and it is managed by an Administrative Council of elected representatives and representatives appointed by the Minister of Tourism.

The Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE): SETE was established in 1991 and it is a nongovernmental, non-profit organisation. SETE represents associations of tourism businesses in Greece as well as individual companies operating in the broader tourism sector. Its mission is to boost competitiveness and highlight the key role of tourism in the Greek economy. SETE is very active in the field of research and studies, and draws the multi-annual tourism strategy for the private tourism sector. It is also a key advisor to the State for tourism-related issues, as one of the social partners engaged in social dialogue.

Marketing Greece S.A.:  Marketing Greece is a financially independent non-profit private organization founded in 2013, which acts as the official representative of the Greek tourism industry and aims at showcasing the Greek tourism product and at providing high-standard, holistic marketing services that cover the full scope of strategic tourism destination development. Its purpose is to help sustain a vibrant and profitable tourism industry by fostering a collaborative spirit, and thus supporting the cooperation of the private sector, public sector, government and local authorities.

The Research Institute for Tourism (ITEP): ITEP is a non-profit organisation founded in July 1996 with the initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and other tourism professionals. Its main objective is to study the tourism sector in Greece and source tourism markets. In particular, ITEP carries out scientific studies regarding Greek tourism and Greek economy in general, examines national and international economic developments and advises state agencies on matters concerning the tourism sector.

The Hellenic Statistical Authority (EL.STAT.): EL. STAT. is an independent authority whose mission is to collect and elaborate national statistical data, including data for the tourism sector. In 2013 the Minister of Tourism signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Hellenic Statistical Authority, by virtue of which the two Parties have undertaken to work together for setting up the Tourism Satellite Accounts and the Tourism Observatory. This cooperation is currently underway and is expected to contribute significantly to the quality of tourism statistics and related studies.

The Bank of Greece (BoG): The BoG is the country’s central bank and part of the Eurosystem. It is responsible for compiling and publishing statistics on the Greek economy and to conduct specialised statistical surveys. In this context, since 2002 the BoG has been conducting Frontier Surveys in order to collect the necessary information for estimating travel expenditure. The Frontier Survey consists of two independent surveys: a) the Travel Receipts Survey, aimed at estimating the travel expenses of non-residents in Greece; b) the Travel Payments Survey, aimed at estimating the travel expenses of Greek residents abroad.