Tourism: Kefalogianni meetings with important Japanese investors and entrepreneurs

The need for a direct air link between Greece and Japan was stressed by Minister Olga during a discussion with representatives of the largest influence Federation of Japanese Enterprises (KEIDANREN) and Japanese airlines. In particular, Mrs. Kefalogianni presented them with the unique investment opportunities and competitive advantages that make Greece a top tourist destination for both visitors and investors. The constructive debate was attended by the President of KEIDANREN Europe and the head of the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Cooperation Group, Mr Makoto Takashima, and CEOs of Mitsubishi Electric, ANA and Japan Airlines. As the Minister of Tourism pointed out in the last five years, Greece has achieved its rapid economic transformation with a business-friendly investment environment, designed and built by the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mrs. Kefalogianni placed particular emphasis on the investments made in hotel infrastructure in recent years, given the data on over doubled 5 star hotels, and noted that strong brands of the industry and large hotel units have entered Greece, showing confidence in our country. As the Minister of Tourism added, the responsible licensing agency for major tourist infrastructure (Special Service for the Promotion and Licence of Tourism Investments – EYPATE) , operates in the Ministry of Tourism as a one stop shop service, in a flexible and friendly way to develop tourism investments. Mrs Olga Kefalogianni also pointed out the need for a direct air link between Greece and Japan, as it is a decisive factor in increasing tourism flows and developing investment between the two countries. With the need for direct air connection participants agreed It referred to Greece’s important steps in digitising tourism services and in particular the recent launch of the MAI Greece application, which was enthusiastically welcomed by the Japanese side, which expressed particular interest in this initiative. For his part, the President of Keidanren Europe, Mr Takashima, noted that both sides are dealing with democratic values with a similar respect, and this is the basis for every fruitful dialogue on issues that have an impact on the tourism sector. Earlier the Minister of Tourism Mrs Olga Kefalogianni met with an iconic form of the Japanese political scene, Tokyo Governor Mrs. Yuriko Koike. The Minister of Tourism informed Mrs. Koike of the actions of the global network for empowering women politicians Women Political Leaders and its annual conference held in Athens last March and was organized by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family. Both Mrs. Kefalogianni and Mrs. Koike agreed that further steps and efforts are needed to strengthen the role and participation of women in politics. The Minister for Tourism noted that both countries face challenges in the climate crisis affecting trade, transport and tourism. He stressed the similarities of the two countries with regard to island issues and the need to strengthen these regions. On the occasion of the Governor’s initiative to extend digitization to the Tokyo area, the need to educate older citizens in new technologies and younger ones was discussed. The governor referred to the incentives given to families to stay on the smaller islands of Japan, while referring to sustainable development issues, making particular reference to the use of hydrogen in transport made in Tokyo Harbor. Regarding tourism, Mrs Olga Kefalogianni stressed that Greece has the opportunity to offer a special travel experience to Japanese visitors, as they are particularly interested in the cultural capital and gastronomy of our country, fields which are particularly important resources for the development of the quality and authenticity of Greek tourism.