By Ilias Karagiannis.
A recent and ongoing demand of the Greek community in Australia will be met in the near future.
Greece’s General Secretary of Tourism Policy and Development, Olympia Anastasopoulou, has confirmed in an exclusive interview to The Greek Herald that a Greek National Tourism Office (EOT) will open in Melbourne, Victoria.
Working tirelessly, quietly but effectively, Ms Anastasopoulou proved to be the driving force behind this initiative and led numerous negotiations around the EOT.
“From the first moment I took over as General Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and having learned to be competitive, militant and unintimidated by difficulties and obstacles, I made a personal bet: the reopening of the EOT in Australia. After a personal and unremitting effort, I wish to announce that it has already been decided to re-establish and reopen the EOT,” Ms Anastasopoulou told The Greek Herald.
“With the help of the Prime Minister’s office, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and myself, all the necessary legislative actions have already been launched, so that EOT has a presence again in Australia in the near future.
“Australia is a market that has a strong expatriate character and is a top priority for our country.
“With the advent of the New Year, all the details will be clarified by the Ministry of Tourism, which is responsible for the establishment of EOT in Australia. With the historic initiative for the community, we expect a tightening of relations between the two countries and of course, a further increase in tourist flows from Australian visitors.”
The Ministry of Tourism has contributed to the existence of direct flights from several countries around the world to stimulate arrivals and facilitate the visitor’s experience. We asked Ms Anastasopoulou if there is an intention by the Ministry to do something similar with Australia.
“Australia is a market that has a strong expatriate character and is a top priority for Greece. The planning actions of our ministry have included the planning of meetings with airlines that can coordinate air links between Greece and Australia,” Ms Anastasopoulou says.
“In the context of these meetings, the possibility of expanding direct air links between Greece and Australia throughout the year, as well as the creation of air links with new destinations in Greece, will be explored.”
Visiting Australia and connecting with the Greek community:
Recently, Ms Anastasopoulou travelled to Canada where she had constructive meetings with the Greek community there. As she reveals to The Greek Herald, a trip to Australia is also imminent.
“The planning actions of the Ministry of Tourism includes a trip to Australia, with which, as I mentioned above, we are connected by inseparable ties and is an immediate priority for the government and our country,” she says.
“During the meetings that will take place there, special emphasis will be placed on the actions that the Greek government can take to attract Australian visitors to our country. In the context of the meetings, the first priority is the Greek community and the development potential and investment opportunities of the tourism sector in your country.
“I particularly express my satisfaction with the increase in tourist flows in our country this year and I do not hide from you that the Greek government will make every effort to attract even more visitors to Greece throughout the year in every corner of our beautiful homeland. We will always stand by the Greek diaspora in Australia, as we know that the Greek diaspora stands by us.”
During her tenure at the Ministry of Tourism, Ms Anastasopoulou has met with the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis, the former Victorian Minister of Health, Jenny Mikakos and recently with the President of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Northern Territory (HACCI NT), Angela Tomazos.
The Greek Herald asked her about this last meeting and the integration of the Greek community in Australia into the tourism policy of Greece.
“Relations between Greece and Australia are characterised by cordiality, which is based on historical and expatriate ties. The successful route, for decades, of the expatriate element, contributed to the formation, maintenance and further strengthening of Australia’s relations with Greece,” she explains.
“Our expats in Australia are now an integral part of Australian society. Melbourne and Thessaloniki have been Twin Cities since 1984. Australia and Greece are connected by strong historical ties as a result of the joint struggles of the two peoples during the First and Second World Wars, and especially during the Battle of Crete.
“During World War I, Lemnos was the base and the place of care for some 50,000 Australian soldiers and nurses who fought in the Gallipoli campaign. During the Battle of Crete in May 1941, Australian soldiers fought alongside Greeks, New Zealanders and the British against the Nazi invasion. For the anniversary of the Battle of Crete, commemorations take place annually in various cities of Australia, as well as in Greece.
“Also… the level of our bilateral relations [with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia] is reflected in the frequent exchanges of high-level visits.
“As a result of the strong ties between Greece and Australia, a meeting was held with Mrs Tomazos from HACCI NT. At this meeting, our ministry presented the results of the broader quantitative survey on the profile of visitors to our country through the VisitGreece application, as well as the results of a qualitative survey on the travel preferences of Greek expatriates in Australia. The purpose of the research is to record the travel profile of members of the Greek Australian diaspora. The ways to enhance tourist flows by offering alternative tourism products, beyond “sun and sea” tourism, were particularly highlighted.
“It is known that the Greek diaspora is distinguished by deep religious faith and great interest in making visits to places and monuments of religious interest (e.g. Meteora). As a result, important opportunities are opening up for the promotion of religious tourism.
“Also, Greek gastronomy is one of the key strengths that Greek tourism offers and is highly regarded among Australian visitors. In addition, Greece is an extremely safe country not only to travel, but also to stay or work, but of course to invest.”
Message to Australia’s Greek community:
This year was an wonderful year for Greek tourism. We asked Ms Anastasopoulou if she is happy with this year’s performance.
“The country’s brand name has been upgraded worldwide, our image has changed for the better and this has resulted in a strong tourist flow, which creates significant prospects for the development of the Greek economy through tourism.
“The prospects for Greek tourism this year are auspicious, with the first data showing that the season can reach, and possibly surpass, in numbers the “golden” year of 2019. We managed in a year of multiple crises to support -through tourism- professionals in the sector, the primary sector, trade and construction.
“Having said that, funds will be available at the end of the season, however we hope that the revenues from inbound tourism this year will exceed those of 2019. Obviously it is still early for forecasts regarding 2023 and we are happy with the success that seems to be prescribed for the Greek tourism market, however we do not rest.
“We work systematically both for the upgrading of infrastructure and legislative reform, as well as for the digitisation of the tourism product and for the upgrading of tourism education in Greece (upskilling and reskilling).
“The main objectives of the national tourism policy we have set are the extension of the tourist season, the improvement of the competitiveness, quality, authenticity, durability and sustainability of the tourist product and at the same time the strengthening of tourism investments with a low environmental footprint.”
In view of her upcoming visit to Australia, we asked Ms Anastasopoulou to send a message to the Greek community.
“The Greek diaspora in Australia is the solid foundation, the bridge for the development and strengthening of ties, not only of friendship, but of mutual understanding between Greece and Australia,” she says.
“A significant number of Greek expatriates maintain strong emotional ties with Greece, especially with their particular place of origin. Their willingness to visit Greece frequently, as well as the tendency to invest in the renovation of their homes, makes the Greek Australian community a loyal and stable force that always helps Greece in difficult times.
“At the same time, the established presence of the Greek Australian community within Australian society, as well as its intense business activity, is a carrier of transmission and promotion of the Greek brand. A typical example is the established presence of the Greek diaspora and the satisfactory penetration of Greek products in the Australian market, which opens up new opportunities to promote gastronomic tourism, but also wine tourism in our country.
“This is a win-win situation for all of us.
“The opening of an EOT office in Melbourne, launched by the Government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is undoubtedly a positive development both for Greece and for the Hellenism of the diaspora in general.
“This is a move with special symbolism as most of you are in the second largest city of Australia (over 300,000), while the establishment of the EOT office has been your constant request for eight years.
“We listen to you and carefully plan together our common course for the wellbeing of all of us. It is more than obvious that when we try something together, when it is a team effort, the result is always much better.”
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