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Funds amounting to 30 million euros will include the social tourism program “Tourism for All”, in order to stimulate domestic tourism and strengthen tourism businesses in the middle of a coronaviurs pandemic.
Announcements in support of domestic tourism will be made next Saturday, June 13, in an official press conference that will be given on the island of Santorini by the Ministry of Tourism, in the presence of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Last Thursday, during the presentation of the new campaign to promote Greek tourism abroad, he stressed that “we will do everything in our power to support domestic tourism and announcements will soon be made by the Ministry of Tourism.”
Despite the difficulties, both due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic and due to the increased financial problems, measurements show that this year Greeks – like any other citizen in the world – need a vacation more than other years, even a short escape after the quarantine period.
According to information, as reported by Apostolos Skoubouris in liberal.gr, the “Tourism for All” program, amounting to 30 million euros, which will be announced in Santorini, will be up to 30 euros per night through the subsidy. , but with the necessary condition that there are at least four nights.
In other words, the minimum will be an e-voucher worth 120 euros for each beneficiary, while there will be corporate Holiday Vouchers for an additional tax-free holiday voucher worth 300 euros. It concerns hotels and travel agencies and the beneficiaries are estimated at 250,000, but the further opening of this program is not ruled out.
The exact terms, as well as the income limit of the beneficiaries, will be “locked” during the week, so that the final announcements will be made on Saturday in Santorini.
The support of domestic tourism is a strategic choice of the Ministry of Tourism this year, in the direction of supporting tourism businesses through a mutual benefit, both of society and professionals in the field.
The ministry’s intention is to leverage the market, ensuring low-cost vacations for middle- and low-income social groups and contributing significantly to job retention and the survival of tourism businesses. At the same time, as mentioned above, there will be a separate program for the promotion of domestic tourism, with a new spot that will be addressed exclusively to the domestic tourism market.
As far as Holiday Vouchers are concerned, the government is working out the final formula for the conditions that private companies will have to meet, as well as the tax incentives that will be given to them so that they can give their employees corporate summer vacation coupons.
The program will reach 10 million euros, while the amount that the company will allocate for the granting of holiday vouchers will be calculated in the expenses and will be tax deductible from the company’s expenses, while the amount of benefit for the employee will be tax-free. makes use of.
The displacement of domestic tourism
Domestic tourism – which once (decades ago) accounted for 50% or 70% of the total Greek tourism industry, which was incomparably smaller and with milder dependence on foreign countries, now accounts for just under 10% of total travel receipts and arrivals. Of course, this is reasonable, as the tourism industry – not only in Greece but worldwide – has grown exponentially over the last 20 years, as people travel (they traveled before Covid-19), more than ever in human history.
Of course, domestic tourism does not bring foreign exchange as domestic capital is recycled, it cannot make a difference, nor can it maintain the large mass tourism units that exist on islands such as Rhodes, Kos, Crete and Corfu. However, it can bring some liveliness to some destinations, but also to small family businesses, whether in the field of hospitality or in the field of catering and entertainment.
At the same time, especially this year, even for domestic tourism, areas with road access will be a priority. Given the risks due to congestion in other media (airplanes, ships, etc.), road transport is considered safer and more affordable.
Thus, more beneficial areas are expected to be areas such as Halkidiki, Northern and Continental Greece, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Ionian coast, the entire Region of Central Macedonia and areas such as Kavala, Parga, Sivota – Preveza, Leptokarya Pieria, Evia Western Greece, Galaxidi and of course the whole Peloponnese.
Along with Greece, a number of other countries that are tourism brands are going to do the same. Both France and Italy and Spain are set to support domestic tourism this year by all means, in the sense of keeping the money “inside” in order to boost domestic businesses and their economies.
source:-https://hania.news
