ETHOS EVENTS and HRIMA magazine are pleased to present Hospitality Forum & Awards, which will take place on 11 June 2015 at the Ethniki Asfalistiki Conference Center.
The Greek hotel sector is the backbone and heavy industry of Greek tourism. It should not be considered as a mere component of the hospitality services network, given that it contributes 75% of the latter’s total revenues in Greece. However, Greek hotels do not enjoy proportionate profits and are often regarded with suspicion. There is a need for viable solutions to the various problems of the sector, which will help maximize the profits of Greek economy, especially in times of recession.
The main problems of hotel businesses are of structural nature and most of them have remained unresolved for decades. Dependence on Tour Operators, low level of personnel specialization, low and middle income tourists, overcrowding of popular destinations, deficiencies of land development plans and intense seasonality with concentration of tourist flows in the summer months, are among the most important problems of the industry. Other challenges that hotels have to face are the uncontrolled sprawl and illegal operation of small lodging businesses which discredit the Greek tourist product, the high cost of services outside the hotels, the insufficiency of infrastructures in less popular destinations and the more and more intense competition from neighboring countries.
As for the prospects of the hotel industry, the development of alternative forms of tourism to smoothen the fluctuation of tourist traffic throughout the year, the new land planning framework, the increasing competition among airline companies, the new infrastructures all over the country and the increase of promotion funds create a supporting network for the hospitality sector within the current adverse economic landscape.