Tourism

Tourism

Tourism is now the driving force and the most dynamically growing sector of the Greek economy since the participation in GDP is consistently above 15% and at times exceeded 18%. Moreover, it creates employment in a broad range of activities at different levels of knowledge and skill, especially among young people and in our region. Also, we should think that every Euro spent on tourism generates more than twice the secondary consumption in the rest of the economy.

Although tourism has been one of the main pillars of development in Greece for the past 30 years it has many lingering problems:

• 65% of tourism activity in Greece (over-) is concentrated in four areas.
• Under current conditions, the Greek tourism operates almost 80% of its potential.
• Confusion between service and servility sense spirit creates the anti-service syndrome, which possesses substantial part of those directly and indirectly dealing with tourism.
• The primary tourism product in Greece is excellent. However, the added value is not as good. Result, moderate final product, often overpriced, so uncompetitive.
• The disposal of Greek tourism product is made primarily from foreign Tos and distribution channels, which in no way influence.

These lingering problems and poor performance of previous periods, combined with the rise of our competitors and especially with the tourism policy deficit in Greece, confirm the need for active intervention in tourism.

I envision a Greece which, above all, will ensure a high living standard for its citizens, a Greece where all citizens of the world would like to live, either permanently or temporarily. A country which will be pleasant for its permanent residents would be both pleasant and attractive to its visitors as well as temporary residents.

Future tourism must:

  • Connect the values and meanings of Greek civilization to modern needs, expectations and perceptions of the globalized society, highlighting Greece at the forefront of the new age.
  • Contribute to the improvement of living standards of the inhabitants of Greece through the creation of employment and income.
  • Inform and protect tourists-consumers while guaranteeing the right to a quality vacation for all.
  • Take environmental protection and management initiatives with the preparation for tackling climate change.
  • Establish quality infrastructure across Greece to contribute to balanced regional development.Enhance the prestige of entrepreneurship in society while ensuring the viability and profitability of the business.
  • Give glory to the tourism industry and pride to employees.
  • Develop synergies with other sectors and the economy, creating and spreading even more benefits in all regions of Greece and larger sections of the population.Increase the competitiveness of Greece through a quality, value for money, world class “greek lifestyle experiences” tourist product.

 

According to this vision, tourism has got to become the main tool of the Greek government in order to achieve objectives of economic, social and environmental policy.

Defense and Security

Defense and Security

A strategic pursuit for modern Greece must be a strong and firmly oriented defense policy as the guardian of our national security and national dominance.

Over the last decades, a number of changes and rearrangements have taken place, resulting in new geopolitical equilibria and balances. The current international environment is characterized by intense instability, liquidity, high interdependence and fragile balances. The international, regional and national security environment  tend to be characterized as comparatively concentric fields.

In a critical geo-political area and in a rapidly changing geo-strategic environment, Greece is called upon to address reliably and effectively a set of complex and multidimensional potential challenges, risks and problems in a way that favors securing its national interests.

The geostrategic value of our country, as a member of several international organizations, combined with its geostrategic position and strategically important relationships, has greatly increased especially in the light of developments in Europe, Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean and the Black and white areas.

Thus, the general objective of national defense policy must be, through combined actions in the field of defense diplomacy and foreign policy, the strengthening of Greece’s security, its constant presence in the international sphere and its constructive role as a driving force of positive developments in the wider region.

At a graduation ceremony at the Tatoi Airport School with pilots from Morocco and Senegal

 

I visualize the Armed Forces to become a pioneer in the development of environmental management systems, with the medium-term goal of exporting know-how abroad.

Greece must:

  • Enlarge its role, as a factor of stability in the wider region through enhanced participation in international organizations.
  • Enhance the involvement of its Defense Industry as well as domestic construction companies in NATO, European Union, European Space Agency programs, in cooperation with the relevant Ministries. It is necessary to involve the defense industry in co-operations and co-productions with foreign firms, before signing any contract, with a view to introducing know-how and developing research. The extroversion of the defense industry will be supported by foreign policy in the context of Military Diplomacy to bring results in the coming years.
  • Strengthen Greece’s relations with Israel and the US in defense and security issues by establishing a new strategic network of know-how transfer contacts and modern weapon systems.
  • To pursue the extroverted growth and reorganization of research centers by promoting collaborations with other research centers within and outside Greece, for better integration and exploitation of technology while saving resources.
  • Promote an effective and flexible form of force through, the reorganization of military units and facilities.
  • To acquire a modern recruitment system adapted to new technologies as well as to stop the institution and to replace them with soldiers of fortune.
  • Reorganize the structure and organization charts of the Ministry, Offices and Units in order to be in harmony with international practice, new technologies and experience. Emphasis is placed on interoperability and interconnection, which as a power multiplier imparts our operational capabilities. At this point, it should be noted that it is necessary to introduce new procedures for armaments to ensure full transparency, rapid satisfaction of needs and savings.

 

 

  • To acquire a “green” defense by proposing an integrated environmental policy for the National Defense. Gradual removal – replacement of all polluting service vehicles and appliances with new, low cost and anti-pollution technology vehicles. Wide introduction of training simulators and shots to save resources and protect the environment. Intensify the controls of active firing fields to avoid contamination of the soil and the marine environment.

 

No discount on national security issues

Tightening of geostrategic alliances in Greece

Enlarge them to new fields

 

Mass Media and Prospects

Mass Media and Prospects

Television is a type of media that occupies an important part of viewers leisure time.

People with high educational level, have been observed to watch less TV than those who are less educated. This image is found in a reverse form when it comes to the use of newspapers as a means of information. Newspapers are most likely to be read by older and higher educated people. Regardless of the viewership, it seems that the majority of young people consider TV as an unreliable media because of “entanglement”.

The media are perceived as a means of service to interests, driven by larger forces that disorient and divide public with distorted news and “trash TV”.

Media should inform and awaken citizens to reality instead of maintaining the ignorance and sciolism. They should be uncoloured, released from political and economic interests, with only one objective: to project news directly to the public without treatments and concealment.