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Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-03-20
CONTENTS
[01] Tourism minister in Moscow
[01] Tourism minister in Moscow
Tourist Development Minister Costas Markopoulos, speaking at a press
conference at the convention cenrtre of Moscow's MITT tourist
exhibition, said that Greece remains in the front line as an option for
Russian tourists and Russian tourist agencies and, despite the crisis,
insecurity and existing queries, it plays a leading role as a tourist
destination.
Markopoulos, who visited the Greek pavilion at the exhibition, said
that "we have annulled indirect taxes, subsidised work and we have done
all that we can and we are doing all that we can to decrease inelastic
expenditures and to prolong the tourist period."
The minister referred with satisfaction to all that is being done over
the past years to achieve the speedier issuing of entry visas for
Russian citizens through the Visa Centre in Moscow, resulting in Greece
being, as Russian tourist agencies also recognise, the country issuing
visas quicker than any other European country.
Markopoulos further said that "the tourist period is no longer only
July-August. It is also September and October. Last year we had 60
percent more visas in September because some new charters came in.
Therefore, we have a long way before us," adding that the struggle will
be waged to the end and "we shall assess the result on December 31."
The minister disclosed that "the Russian tourists who came to Greece
last year were just over 300,000" and pointed out that "we feel that
the margin for an increase is very large. We are working on this and we
feel the certainty and self-confidence that the citizens of this
country regard Greece as a tourist option."
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