An interview with Ioannis Retsos

An interview with Ioannis Retsos

Ioannis Retsos, elected the new president of the Athens-Attica Hotels Association a few months ago, belongs to a new generation of hoteliers in Greece. Co-owner of a chain of hotels in Athens and other parts of Greece, he is very knowledgeable about the hotel market.

Mr Retsos answers our questions regarding the impact of the credit crunch on the tourism industry and gives his opinion on the conference infrastructure in Athens and the future of the sector

How do you think this year's economic crisis has affected tourism in Athens and how are the city's tourism enterprises responding to the crisis?

With a crisis of this magnitude and extent that is more than just economic and affects the whole world, it is inevitable that there would be an impact on tourism enterprises. What all of us in the hotel sector are betting on is that we can maintain the high level of services offered while circumventing - as much as possible - the general climate, and at the same time proceed with activities that will help us, unite us and serve as a "window of opportunity" for the future. Though all of our revenues have been reduced, we are fortunately able to resist, with businesses and employees working together. We are optimistic because Athens is a timeless and, shall we say, eternal destination which has survived wars and natural disasters and much more difficult economic circumstances and situations.

What is your opinion of the conference infrastructure in Athens and how would rate the level of service offered by hotels in Athens?

Let us not forget that Athens was completely revamped for the 2004 Olympic Games. Hotels in particular renovated both rooms and conference facilities. As a result, we can boast of having the most up-to-date hotel services in Europe. Many hotels also made provisions for additional conference rooms equipped with the latest technology in order to be able to stage state-of-the-art conferences. The Athens hotels can host medium-sized conferences efficiently. However, the city can also serve much more complex needs and much larger conferences, as it proved with the successful staging of the Olympic Games. This is because, on the one hand, the distances between the city locations of greater interest to conference attendees are small and, on the other hand, they are particularly interesting (such as the historical centre and the Attica beaches). The Athens-Attica Hotels Association, along with other organizations in the city, is interested in creating a large-capacity conference centre which will enhance the services available and enable the staging of large-scale conferences. In addition, it will become the flag ship of the city's conference activities, putting it on the map of significant international conference destinations. Supporting all of the above is the fact that Athens' existing infrastructure, such as the fine airport, the updated road network, the improved mass transportation system, the rich variety of shopping opportunities and the uniquely important sights, contributes to making it an important and continually developing conference destination with great potential.

How do you see the future of conference tourism in Athens and why do you believe a company should select Athens for its conference?

On the basis of what I have already said, Athens "as is" constitutes the ideal destination, particularly for medium-sized conferences, and would have even greater potential if a large-capacity conference centre were added to its infrastructure. The state has committed to creating such a centre at the Tae Kwon Do Faliro Pavillion. Beyond that, Athens is an ideal location for conferences in its own right as it is already known as the birthplace of democracy as well as conferences (let us not forget the open assembly meetings held by leaders in the classical city) and dialogue, the arts and philosophy. Athens inspires dialectic debate and invites conference attendees to choose it. At the same time, as we have said repeatedly, Athens is a modern European capital that can meet every need for shopping, entertainment and exploration. Everyone - private individuals, local administrators and residents - is struggling under sometimes difficult circumstances and with the determination called for by these times. We never stop being welcoming and respectful of visitors to Athens.