IT IS MY GOAL TO INSPIRE
PEOPLE AND LEAD THE WAY
THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ALDEMAR RESORTS GROUP, ONE OF THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THE HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY AND THE TORCHBEARER OF SEVERAL INITIATIVES FOCUSING ON PEOPLE, SOCIETY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT, SHARES WITH US HIS CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF TOURISM, TALKS ABOUT THE GROUP’S
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND DISCUSSES THE DYNAMICS OF THE 10TH SYMPOSSIO GREEK
GOURMET TOURING. HE IS CONVINCED THAT THESE AWARDS RAISE AWARENESS AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY
BOOST MORALE FOR THE NEXT BATTLE WHICH WE OUGHT TO GIVE AGAINST FIERY POPULISM, THE GENERAL
TENDENCY TOWARDS THE EASY WAY OUT AND THE PREVALENCE OF UNIMAGINATIVE IMITATION.Brexit, the return of our competitors and Airbnb: How
deep an impact will they have on the course of Greek
tourism in 2019?
Save for some earthshaking, unexpected circumstance,
Greek tourism will decline in terms of arrivals –
passionately counted by some- as well as in revenue.
Looking at the real indices, such as the average length of
stay, the total of nights spent and the average per capita
expenditure, the slowdown of the tourism economy
-which inevitably follows the course of the wider
European economy that has been barely hanging on in
recent years- seems inescapable. On the contrary, thanksto its highly competitive tourism product and framework,
the state support and the acknowledgement that tourism
is the main financial activity, Turkey prospers and lands
a blow on our soft underbelly, which is no other than the
lack of political support and vision for the industry. Add to
that the Brexit and the insecurity it has brought about, the
plummeting of more than a few airlines, Boeing’s bolts
out of the blue and the rising fuel prices, and you have no
room for optimism. The tolerance with regard to Airbnb is
simply shocking, as is the proneness to lawlessness and
the convenient multiplicity of laws that favours some, but
seriously hurts others.IN CONVERSATION
Alexandros Angelopoulos