The development of a common European policy to address the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on tourism and the economy was the focus of the EU Competitiveness Council meeting, which is taking place in Brussels.
According to a related announcement, tourism was one of the main points of discussion in the context of the adoption of conclusions under the Cypriot Presidency on sustainable and competitive European tourism, while Greece was represented by the Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development, Vasiliki Koutsoukou.
During the Council discussion, views were exchanged on best practices for addressing the geopolitical crisis, while the Ministry of Tourism cited the example of activating a digital mechanism for real-time monitoring of the tourism market, in collaboration with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and the Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasts.
As noted, Greece has emerged in recent years as a leading international tourist destination, facing successive crises and challenges with composure, maturity, and responsibility. Following a record year in terms of tourism revenue and arrivals, the tourism sector is on a positive trajectory in the first quarter of 2026 as well, while the market outlook so far indicates that Greek tourism continues to demonstrate resilience, even following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
It was also emphasized that, in an uncertain and complex geopolitical environment , vigilance and coordinated European action are required to ensure a sustainable and resilient future for tourism. Greece supports the need to strengthen the resilience of tourism and to elevate it to a cross-cutting European priority, in view of the upcoming European Tourism Strategy.
The successive crises of recent years, the pressures on tourist destinations, and the consequences of the climate crisis underscore the need to establish, at the European level, a dedicated funding line exclusively for tourism.
This position was also supported at the working dinner hosted by the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, for representatives of EU member states in the tourism sector, at the European Commission’s offices.
SOURCE: APE