On 18 October, Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias held a working meeting with Greg O’Hara, Founder and CEO of Certares, one of the world’s largest private equity funds in the hospitality sector.
The common ground was the need to upgrade the offered tourism product and through this the attraction of visitors of high income level, mainly from the U.S.A.
At the same time, there was a convergence of views on strengthening the employment of professionals from Greece, from a wide range of Greek architectural offices, designers, construction companies, technology companies and training of human resources in tourism, which will provide added value to local communities from the primary to the tertiary sector and will highlight the new face of the country.
Mr. O’Hara is, among others, Executive Chairman of American Express GBT, Chairman of Hertz Global Holding, Vice Chairman of Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings and a member of the Board of Directors of the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Mr. Kikilias made the following statement after the meeting:
“Together with the €320 million Public Investment Programme from the European Recovery Fund, we are attracting private capital to the country.
Our aim is to bring investment in tourism, to create new quality jobs for the average Greek family and to upgrade the tourism product, always in terms of sustainability and preserving the authenticity of the visitor experience”.
