What did the president of the organization, Giannis Paraschis, say in his letter to the relevant ministers
His opposition to the measures to support entrepreneurship and business productivity in the primary sector, manufacturing and tourism announced yesterday by the government is expressed by association of Greek tourist companies (SETE).
In his letter, the president of the organization, Yannis Paraschis, addressing the relevant ministers, emphasizes the following:
Following the inter-ministerial press conference on the specification of the “support measures” announced in the framework of the TIF, SETE emphasizes that its members are opposed to measures of a purely revenue-generating nature, which have proven to be ineffective, as they harm its competitiveness and sustainability touristic product.
1) The imminent increase in the resilience fee for climate change, which may reach +400% per type of accommodation in less than a year of implementation of the measure without having previously accounted for the use of the resources collected since its establishment, raises serious concerns about its feasibility and effectiveness. Such measures do not serve the national strategy for the spatial and temporal extension of the tourist season, as they do not take into account the real price levels and geographical variations, while they risk reinforcing delinquency phenomena. Although the extension of the reduced fee during the month of March is in the right direction, it is obviously not enough to compensate for the excessive increases of the other months, always according to SETE.
2) With regard to the imposition of a cruise charge, any increase in the applicable port charges must be fit for purpose, proportionate to the investment needs of the ports, applicable to all visitors and ensure that the benefits have a direct impact in local communities. Without the necessary operational interventions in ports and islands that present an overconcentration of cruises, the imposition of fees as a single intervention will not have the intended results for the sustainability of the destinations, argues SETE.
3) On the one hand, the announced charges reduce the competitiveness of the Greek tourism product, especially in a period where accuracy burdens the final consumer of the services. On the other hand, the fiscal needs arising from the consequences of the climate crisis cannot be covered exclusively by one sector of the economy, notes the president of SETE.
4) In addition, it is recalled that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is consulting on a draft law that provides for a potential increase in the fee for temporary residents from 0.50 to 0.75. We have repeatedly emphasized that any additional burden on tourism businesses and visitors will have negative consequences both on the image and on the competitiveness of the Greek tourism product. It is extremely important that the central administration and local government rationally manage the resources from the charges, ensuring that local communities enjoy the benefits, SETE emphasizes.
5) Finally, it is recalled that the Development Law 4887/2022, although it was passed on 4/2/2022, has yet to show any decision of affiliation for a tourist business. It is crucial to increase the resources for the tourism investments of the Development Law, as the available resources amount to only 300 million, while the applications exceed 1 billion Euro. In addition, it is pointed out that tourism companies are expecting new NSRF programs for the submission of their investment plans and new announcements of the Development Law which has not yet published an invitation within 2024, the SETE letter concludes.
