The importance of the bill that is being launched for the framework that health and wellness tourism needs, which will be a big step for the next day, was discussed by the Minister of Tourism Mr. Vassilis Kikilias and the President of the Greek Health Tourism Council – ELITOUR, President of the Athens Medical Association and Regional Governor of Attica Mr. George Patoulis at an event organized on Wednesday 16th of February. At the event on “Health Tourism – A Strong Pillar of Development”, Mr. V. Kikilias stressed that, despite the strong obstacles faced by the tourism sector this year, following the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and with the markets of China and Russia closed, Greece managed to have 18 billion Euros in revenues from tourism, which proved to remain firmly a key economic and development pillar of the country.
“In conditions that are anything but favourable, we have achieved an additional extension of the tourist season, an increase in air connections, a link between the primary sector and tourism, the development of real estate, where 8 out of 10 investments, are tourism-related, we have opened up, new markets and now it is time to consult citizens, professionals and stakeholders on the bill, that will set the framework for health and wellness tourism, linking the medical and tourism sectors. We need medical services, that go hand in hand with the tourism sector. There is very great potential in this sector, especially after the pandemic. With the management we had, achieved to determine our country, as a safe destination.”
This is the effort that ELITOUR has been making for years now, as Mr. G. Patoulis said, “to unite the medical part with the tourist part, noting that in this process, the state will have interlocutors who are in the market, they are in the market”. “This is the first bill in this direction and it is something we need immediately,” Mr. G. Patoulis added and recalled that “the Attica region, is already studying to create the first global health village, in the northeast of Attica.”
During the event, the Minister of Tourism awarded Mr. G. Patoulis with an honorary plaque for his valuable contribution, to the upgrading of the tourism product.
Mr. G. Patoulis did not fail, to refer to the way Mr. V. Kikilias managed the health crisis of the coronavirus, from the position of Health Minister, at the time, stressing that he proved to be “a good captain in the storm and that it is very important that he has now taken over as minister the most important development pillar of the country, which is none other than tourism.”