Greek Tourism Confederation

Greek Tourism Confederation
Σύνδεσμος Ελληνικών Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων
Abbreviation	SETE
Formation	1991
Headquarters	34 Amalias Av. 105 58 Athens, Greece
Fields	Greek Tourism
President	Yannis Paraschis
Board of directors	Yiannis Chatzis / First Vice President Panagiotis Tokouzis / Vice President Lyssandros Tsilides / Vice President Eftichios Vassilakis / Vice President Kallinikos Kallinikos / Vice President Agapi Sbokou / Vice President Emmanouel Giannoulis / Vice President Finance George Vernicos / Secretary General Fotios – Iossif Kokotos / Alternate Secretary General Konstantinos Alexopoulos / Member of the Board Filippos Venetopoulos / Member of the Board Charalampos Voulgaris / Member of the Board Konstantinos Zikos / Member of the Board Maria Theofanopoulos / Member of the Board George Kyvernitis / Member of the Board Achilles V. Constantakopoulos / Member of the Board Chloe-Maria Laskaridis / Member of the Board Athinagoras Konstantinidis / Member of the Board Aris Maroulis / Member of the Board Stavros Mitsis / Member of the Board Michalis Sakellis / Member of the Board Andreas Stylianopoulos / Member of the Board Fokion Karavias / Honorary Member Aris Marinis / Honorary Member
Key people	Yiannis Retsos / Former President Spyros Kokotos / Honorary President Stavros Andreadis / Honorary President Nikos Aggelopoulos / Honorary President Andreas Andreadis / Honorary President
Staff	9
Website	www.sete.gr

The Greek Tourism Confederation (Greek: Σύνδεσμος Ελληνικών Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων), commonly abbreviated to SETE (ΣΕΤΕ), is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1991. It is the representative confederation for unions of tourism enterprises in Greece, as well as independent companies operating across the broader tourism sector.^[1]

History

The original 9 entrepreneurs who met in Elounda, Crete to discuss the creation of the association were:

Spyros Kokotos, of Elounda S.A. Hotels and Resorts, and first president of the Association
Nikos Angelopoulos, of ALDEMAR Hotels & Spa, the current president
Dia Capsis, of Capsis Hotels & Resorts
Nikos Metaxas, of Maris Hotels
Nikos Daskalandonakis, of Grecotel Hotels
Yannis Sbokos, of the Sbokos Hotels Group
Gina Mamidakis, of Bluegr Mamidakis Hotels
Tasos Grigoriadis, of Chalkidiki hotels
Stefanos Voulgaris, of Corfu hotel

In order to fulfill the legal requirement of 20 members, the following 14 were added to the original group and became the 23 founding members of the Association:

Thedore Vassilakis, of Autohellas and Aegean Airlines
Georgios Vernicos, of Vernicos Yachts
Vassilis Konstandakopoulos, of Costamare Shipping and Navarino Resorts
Dakis Ioannou, of J&P Overseas and Athenaum Intercontinental
George Tsilidis
Manolis Tsatsakis
Konstantinos Koulouvatos
Stelios Golemis
Antonis Mousamas
Maria Argyrou
Manolis Papakaliatis
Elias Kammenos
Stelios Seferiades, formerly of Astir Hotels
Constantine Mitsis, of Mitsis Hotels

Organizational aims

SETE aims constantly at boosting competitiveness and demonstrating the key role of tourism in the Greek economy. More specifically, SETE:

Underlines the impact of tourism on the economy, the society and the environment
Informs the Government, the broader public sector and the business community regarding developments in the international tourism market
Promotes co-operation between public and private sectors
Represents its Members in national and international organizations
Establishes platforms of collaboration among the various tourism branches and between tourism and other sectors of the economy
Co-operates with Greek and international research centres in the fields of tourism and economy
Aims for the creation and dissemination of tourism industry know how

Activities

Research

SETE positions are based on continuous research, study and analysis of the special features of tourism economy.

SETE:

studies the status and contribution of tourism to Greek economy^[2]
proposes measures for the improvement of quality and the competitiveness enhancement
monitors the international developments
analyses the growth of tourism sector in competitor countries

SETE research work is supported per case by its staff, expert consultants and university research centres. The results are disseminated and promoted through publications, seminars and through the web.

sete.gr provides information for professionals and researchers in the wider tourism economy.

SETE offices house a library with Greek and foreign publications on tourism.

Education and training

SETE actively supports the work of researchers, experts and students and collaborates with the academic community.

Members of SETE Board of Directors and the Association's Executives are regular speakers and lecturers at events and programs held by partner universities.

SETE proposals regarding tourism training include:

the establishment of tourism studies faculties in Greek universities
the co-ordination between the various levels of studies and tourism education bodies
the continuous education for tourism entrepreneurs and professionals
correlation of market needs with training policies and practices
production of research directly linked to actual tourism needs.

Membership

SETE Members fall into two main categories:

unions of tourism enterprises representing on national level the accommodation, travel, transportation (air, land and sea), exhibitions, conferences and other sectors related to the tourism industry and
enterprises across the entire spectrum of direct and indirect tourism activities, including: hotels, travel agencies, transportation, airlines, car rental, cruise ships, sea-ferries, tourist coach services, yachts, as well as tourist interest companies like banks, business consultants, catering, construction companies, development companies, expo-conference organizers, marketing – management companies, museums, publishing, real estate, restaurants, special tourism infrastructure (golf, marinas, conference centres, exhibitions, etc.), vineyards – wineries.

SETE provides a series of services to its Members, in a joint effort to create a more favourable environment for boosting tourism and entrepreneurship:

Information

SETE Members receive circular documentation, studies and data about markets which concern Greek tourism, and about specific market segments. Moreover, SETE Members are informed on the press releases and the interventions made by SETE to Greek government and the broader public sector.

Participation

SETE Members can be involved in shaping tourism policy positions and proposals by actively participating in the meetings and events held by SETE (General Assemblies, conferences, regional events, business lunches).

Promotion

SETE web pages, events and publications allow for the promotion of businesses and services to selected target groups. SETE Members can be promoted through its regular publications for information purposes, i.e. the SETE Annual Report, the e-newsletter “Corporate Citizenship - Members Activities” and the e-newsletter “Members Business News”.

International presence

Tourism is one of the most significant economic activities in the world and the main field of international competition. SETE is present in the major international fora:

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as an Affiliate Member since 1993
UNWTO Business Council
Statistics and TSA Committee of the UN World Tourism Organization
International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), as a member
The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), as a member
Various international committees, working groups and councils, either as a full member or as an observer.

Moreover, SETE cooperates with: WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), IMF (International Monetary Fund), IFTO (International Federation of Tour Operators), IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), TYD (Turkish Tourism Investors Association), Egyptian Tourism Federation, Exceltur (Spain), Visit Britain, Maison de la France, IMG Tourism, Tourism Intelligence International, ILM Hospitality & Tourism, IPK International, THR Barcelona, Monitor Group, Mintel, Phocuswright, Tourism Industry Intelligence, Eye for Travel

References

^ Fottrell, Quentin. "Will the Greek crisis make travel there cheaper?". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
^ Ellwood, Mark. "How the Greek Government's Minimalist Hotels Turned the Islands into a Tourist Hotspot". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2020-11-14.

External links

[1] Fottrell, Quentin. "Will the Greek crisis make travel there cheaper?". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2020-11-14.

[2] Ellwood, Mark. "How the Greek Government's Minimalist Hotels Turned the Islands into a Tourist Hotspot". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2020-11-14.

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