So in 2019, we put forward a plan aimed at the total restart of the local economy and society, and we did this also in tourism with a change of philosophy.
The chronic inability to increase the local tourism product has been answered with a new strategy that does not invest in a strong but temporary quantitative increase, but in a modern and qualitative increase that will last. We want to believe that in the long run, it will not be at the expense of other economic sectors and the natural environment.
CTo put it simply, we don’t see tourism and I don’t think anyone sees tourism as a sunbed on the beach, but in an overall experience that should highlight the culture of the place, its products, giving impetus to all forms of tourism and not only in the summer.
We knew that upgrading the tourist product requires two more elements. Firstly, financial resources and secondly a strong brand that will give the mark of Western Greece in the simplest and most direct and resounding way around the world.
That is why we secured very important resources from the NSRF of the previous programming period for the promotion of Western Greece, while at the same time we created a new tourist identity with global appeal. This is how the Olympic Land brand was born.
Western Greece, which until yesterday as a name, as a news item, as a hearsay, meant nothing in the tourism market, it is now recommended as Olympia everywhere. Why am I talking to people of the object to analyze the merits of this option, as in my opinion it was highly absurd to have in our place world-class points, but we ourselves have them as a part of our tourism product. Olympia deserved and had to become our identity and in this way the whole region of Western Greece wins, from Vonitsa to Giannitsochori. So Olympia did this and we did it, lining up behind Ancient Olympia, all the destinations, all the natural treasures, all the beauties and in the whole of a great cultural heritage of Western Greece.
We didn’t just stay at the beaches, we showed our mountains, our lakes, our rivers, we showed in a very strong way the local gastronomy, the local quality agro-food products, for the first time we showed our tradition, history, religious and political treasures . But also for the first time we highlighted Western Greece as a current and modern place that is friendly and easily accessible to everyone. All these make up the tourism product of the Western Greece Region today and it is a product addressed to travelers who seek authenticity and a personal relationship with the place they visit, to travelers who seek the quality of the experience.
In the great effort we started, we really encountered many problems and first of all the pandemic, because you know it is even more difficult once you start to change course. Here comes a huge problem, while we were starting the counterattack, the planet came to a standstill due to covid, which obviously put the tourist world back much further, much more so in our own region which was not one of the strong tourist destinations anyway.
Then came more, the economic recession, the war between Russia and Ukraine which took away a lot of visitors from our area, inflation and many more. Mind you, we are talking about countries that we used to rely on as tourist markets. But we didn’t give up, we persevered taking even more initiatives. We participated in more than 40 missions abroad, created virtual reality applications, met with over 400 international tourism agencies and we organized events with 250 journalists and influencers. We created the breakfast of Western Greece in collaboration with hotels and restaurants in the area, but also a permanent interactive relationship with tourism professionals.
Through the innovative educational experience and many others that I do not mention for the sake of brevity, all that we did with faith and persistence in our plan, I can say that they started to take place, and we have the first positive results. If one reads one can see them. I will refer to three qualitative, and I insist on this word, elements that show that something new is being born in the tourist landscape of Western Greece. It is something that we must all build, public administration and private individuals.
The first is to increase employment and turnover, in the tourism sector, in the Region of Western Greece, which according to ELSTAT, in 2023, a total of 21,200 of our fellow citizens were employed in accommodation and catering services activities, while in 2019, there were 18,301, an increase of around 15%.
Second element, is that despite the inflationary trends and accuracy due to energy costs, in the main markets, in 2023, the expenditure per visit was €372.90, overnight stays at €76.6, while in 2019 it was only €315 and 56 ,8€ respectively. The same upward trend is observed in the rest of the services, such as in the focus of our country, where the turnover in 2023 was 315 million compared to 281 million the previous year.
Again according to ELSTAT, that is, within one year alone, we had an additional 34 million euros in the economy of Western Greece, from the tourism sector. An element that shows that our region is beginning to step more firmly on the tourist map, is the significant increase in interest in 5-star hotel investments in all three Regional Units.
After several years, we have a rewarming of investments for luxury accommodation units and this very element comes directly from the tourism market and shows what I mentioned earlier that quantitative indicators must be accompanied by qualitative ones.
So we constantly see that Western Greece is taking steps forward. We see that the map is gradually changing, but no one will say that we have reached where we want, no one can claim that the work is finished. It needs a lot of unrelenting and more intense work. I say it clearly, Western Greece has a long way to go to turn tourism into a strong pillar of development.
I want to close by answering the critical question, what should be done? The strategy went off the rails. Western Greece it has everything it needs, and now the resources to promote it so that even more private investment in tourism can be made.
This is needed, because what will bring tourism development, will not be brought by any public sector, it will be brought by the private person who invests money in his place. It cannot be done otherwise.
I will tell you an example: we try to bring big events. You know what everyone is saying? And where will they all sleep? Who will build the hotels? Who will build hotel units? The private person? So we call from this step, the private individuals who listen to us, to understand that Western Greece is now value for money.
