The Association of Employees of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) has issued a statement denouncing in the strongest possible terms the unsubstantiated and arbitrary decision by the political leadership of the Ministry of Tourism to suspend the operation of the EOT’s Foreign Service in Spain. This specific decision, as it is pointed out, was made without any input and despite the contrary opinion of the relevant services of the Organization.
It is recalled that the issue was publicized exclusively by MONEY & TOURISM.
According to the announcement, “This office has been an important channel for promoting our country not only in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) but also in the emerging markets of Latin America, with proven resonance and operational effectiveness. The decision to suspend operations was made without prior consultation and without a documented redesign with the presence of the EOT Administration in the specific markets.
We wonder, then:
What strategy is the Ministry talking about? Is it the 2025-2028 Tourism Promotion Strategy, which has supposedly not been completed, has not been communicated to the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), and remains unknown even to the directly involved organizations and services? Or does the “strategy” ultimately boil down to the personal opinions and preferences of the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, which systematically bypasses the services and knowledge of the EOT services?
The fact that in a timely question submitted to the Parliament to the Minister of Tourism by the Tourism Sector of SYRIZA, Ms. Vetta Kalliopi, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ms. Anna Karamanlis, stated from the Parliament’s podium on 2.06.2025 that “she does not respond to rumors” about the suspension of the office also raises great concern. However, a few days later, it was revealed that a relevant suspension decision had already been issued with a date of April 11, 2025, which was posted on Diavgeia with a date of July 14, 2025. More specifically, the Ministry of Tourism and the responsible Minister had taken the decision to suspend the office almost three months earlier, which they chose to conceal, possibly consciously, even in the Greek Parliament.
So the Deputy Minister of Tourism either did not know, was not informed, or concealed the decision already made by her superior in response to the timely question.
There are already strong reactions from organized tourism professionals, emphasizing that the presence of the Greek National Tourism Organization in Madrid was of strategic importance.”
Following these developments, the Association of Employees of the Greek National Tourism Organization:
- It unequivocally condemns the practice of misleading and concealing decisions by the political leadership of the Ministry.
- He emphasizes the danger of weakening Greece’s tourism diplomacy in these areas.
- He is asking for the immediate revocation of the decision, full transparency about the procedures followed, and clear answers to the employees and tourism stakeholders.
And the announcement concludes: “The Greek National Tourism Organization, as the institutional body for the country’s tourism promotion, must maintain a presence and voice in international markets, and decisions about its future cannot be made in secret, without dialogue, without a strategy, without respect for employees and national tourism goals. The Association of EOT Employees states that it will continue to defend the transparency, functionality, and effective presence of EOT internationally.
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