The role and significance of major cities
Greece is one of the most attractive European countries for tourists from all over the world because of the country’s status as the place where history and myths meet modernity. The capital city of Greece is Athens.
Before the 2004 Olympic Games, the capital city attracted a lot of tourists who were interested in history, arts, and philosophy because of the possibility to visit Acropolis, the famous Greek temple Parthenon, many museums and galleries.
After the 2004 Olympic Games, the city is also known as one of the most visited European capitals. The major cities of Greece have not only the social but also historical significance as the European cultural heritage (Dubin).
Thus, the next city which is popular with tourists is the Rhodes City. It can be characterized by a lot of historical and archeological sites such as the Colossus of Rhodes and the numerous medieval structures in the Medieval City of Rhodes. Thousands of tourists visit the island of Rhodes and the city to see the Acropolis of Rhodes and the Temple of Apollo.
Moreover, the economy of Rhodes depends on the city’s nightlife in which tourists take the active part. It is important to note that each country’s region has its main city which plays the significant role in the country’s development and contributes to its economy.
Chania with the Samaria National Park and Heraklion are important for the development of Crete (Clark). Tourism in Thessaloniki is influential for the economic sector of the Macedonia region.
Economic and social implications of tourism
Tourism influences the economy and social life of Greece significantly. Greece is discussed as one of the European countries which have the definite economic problems, and tourism is considered as the way to stabilize the situation in the country. However, it is necessary to realize a lot of improvements in the field in order to maximize the possible benefits.
The dependence of the Greek economy on tourism is explained by the fact that the industrial sector of the country is not developed, and the orientation to the exporting agriculture requires many reforms, focusing on developing new distribution channels. From this point, tourism is important for increasing the Gross National Product of the country (Buhalis and Diamantis).
The particular features of the social life in Greece also depend on the development of tourism. Thus, the labor market of the country is closely associated with the seasonal character of tourism in Greece. The migrations of tourists cause the migrations of the workforce within the country.
The tourism sector provides the young population with jobs. Moreover, it is possible to speak about the gender character of distributing jobs because women are mainly employed in the tourism sector.
The accents made by the country’s leaders on the development of tourism are significant for the population not only because of the great job opportunities but also because the positive alternations in the Greek infrastructure are connected with the objectives to attract more tourists (Mak). The effects can be observed in the spheres of telecommunications, health services, and transportation.
Cultural factors
The culture and history are the main factors which attract tourists to visit Greece. The Greek resorts and spa centers take only the second position after visiting the archeological sites and museums of the country. The cultural diversity and uniqueness of Greece depends on the features of its location.
This territory is often discussed by historians as the cradle of the European history and culture based on the combination of myths, archeological sites, and philosophical works. Many tourists are impressed by the historical and archeological destinations and by different traditions and practices which have various roots, but they are combined at these lands.
The major trade ways crossed the country located between the Eastern and Western worlds. The Greek culture is based on the combination of the Christian and Islamic traditions which are the results of the impact of Byzantine and the Ottoman Empire. That is why, the major part of the country’s population is the Orthodox Christians, and the other significant part is the Muslims.
Thus, the examples of the Christian and Islamic cultures can be seen in each city of Greece where magnificent churches are located. However, the Greek culture is not only the combination of definite religious traditions as a result of the years of the empires’ dominance.
A lot of tourists visit Greece in order to observe the national customs, food traditions, and pay attention to the measured attitude of Greeks to their life (Bowman and Kerasiotis).
Climate and topography
The climate of Greece depends on its location and the particular features of the landscape. Many tourists concentrate on the fact that Greece is the country with the significant coastline where a lot of resorts are located. Furthermore, there are many wonderful islands with the mild climate.
That is why, a lot of opportunities are provided for diving, sailing, and cruising. Moreover, those people who are interested in mountains can observe the great mountainous landscape at the main territory of the country.
The Mediterranean climate is characteristic for Greece. Hot and dry periods of the weather from April till November are good for the development of tourism in the region. The rainy season is from November till March.
The best period for visiting the Greek islands is in June and September to avoid the warmest weather in the region during July and August. However, when the weather is not good for spending time at the beaches, it is possible to do sightseeing. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Greece is also characterized by the Alpine climate typical for the mountainous areas and by the Continental climate at the north of the country (Duke).
Demographics
The population of Greece is 11 million people. More than 17 million of tourists visit the country each year. The population of the country consists of the Greek majority. Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention to the diversity of the Greek population among which it is possible to determine minorities speaking different dialects.
Thus, the population of Greece is inclined to divide itself into Cretans, Maniots, Pontians, and other groups. The demographics of the tourists are also diverse. The majority of tourists are from the European countries, and they mostly visit Athens and Crete.
A lot of tourists are from the Americas. In spite of the fact the population of the Asian countries is not interested in visiting Greece, the tendency begins to change in the 2000s (Bowman and Kerasiotis).
Major tourist’s attractions
The major tourist’s attractions are the historical and archeological sites in the main cities of the country, islands, and resorts located at the country’s coastline. The visitors who come to Athens pay attention to the famous Acropolis, the Kallimarmaron stadium and observe the pieces of history in the National Archaeological Museum.
The capital of Greece is discussed as the main tourist’s city with a lot of archeological attractions and remarkable destinations. After visiting Athens, tourists often go to Delphi, Ithaca, and Olympia to experience the unity with the ancient history.
Nevertheless, the beaches of the Greek islands attract more tourists in comparison with Athens in summer. The Greek island Corfu is also popular for many attractions.
Tourists have the great opportunity to enjoy the warm waters of the Ionian Sea and observe the wonderful examples of the Venetian-Roman style architecture at the territory of the island. The volcanic island Santorini in the Aegean Sea attracts the lovers of romantic sunsets. It is the best place to see unique black sandy beaches (Clark).
Markets and competitive advantages and disadvantages
In spite of the fact the economy of Greece is based on the development of the tourism sector significantly, there are a lot of problems which prevent the country from competing effectively with the other European countries.
To analyze the market and advantages and disadvantages of the process, it is important to pay attention to the strengths and weaknesses of the sector’s development and management. The advantages of the process are in the fact that tourism sector is based on the definite natural and cultural resources, and it can be characterized by flexibility and the strong local character.
However, the supporting markets and industries are not developed enough to compete successfully; the problems are observed in management and marketing structures; infrastructure does not respond to the tourism seasonality (Buhalis).
To create the supporting conditions for the development of tourism in Greece and for increasing the sector’s competitiveness within the global market, it is necessary to focus on intensifying the standardization, training of tourism employees, and improving the quality of the services provided.
Today, the main problems in the sphere of tourism are connected with increasing the level of infrastructure to the world standards, concentrating on the transportation and hotel services. It is important to develop a new competitive strategy for managing and regulating the tourism sector in Greece.
Existing tourist infrastructure
The present-day tourist infrastructure of the country depends on the effects of the 2004 Olympic Games. The developed tourist infrastructure can be observed in the major Greek cities and on the islands where the famous resorts are located.
The most luxurious hotels attract visitors in Athens and in the region of Thessaloniki as well as on Crete. The development of infrastructure in Greece is slower than in the other countries, and the standards in hotels can differ from the worldwide standards and tourists’ expectations.
The most famous hotels and spa centers are located at the seacoasts to attract more visitors to such Greek destinations as resorts and the mild climate (Wickens). Thus, the distribution of hotels in the country depends on the tourists’ demands significantly.
Camps are also popular in Greece along with the traditional hotels. The camp sites can be found in Macedonia and Peloponnese, and they are chosen by the representatives of eco-tourists. Those tourists who visit the mainland territories of Greece and its major cities often choose rental rooms which are associated with a kind of intrusion and certain Greek traditions.
To contribute to attracting more tourists, the leaders of the country focused on developing the transportation systems and increasing the possibilities of the Athens International Airport and other international airports.
The role of the State Department of Tourism or National Tourism Organization
In Greece, the questions of the tourism sector in the country are resolved by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in association with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO). The Ministry and GNTO are responsible for developing the tourism policy in the country and for controlling the aspects of the policy’s realization.
The significance of tourism for the country’s Government can be explained by the fact the economy of Greece is based mainly on tourism. Much attention is paid to planning and implementing the effective strategies for the sector’s further progress. The most controversial issues discussed by the Ministry and GNTO are the questions of the correlation between the public and private sector within the market.
Conclusions
It is possible to conclude that tourism industry in Greece plays the significant role in the economic development of the country, but definite difficulties in the tourism sector’s progress influence the process negatively. The positive changes in the approach to tourism as the important factor for the country’s economic growth began after the 2004 Olympic Games.
A lot of improvements and alternations were realized in the tourist’s infrastructure. Nevertheless, to achieve significant results, it is necessary to pay attention to larger changes in the tourism sector of the country. The role of tourism in the Greek coastal regions is difficult to be overestimated. Moreover, the tendencies in the tourism sector influence the labor market of the country.
From this point, any positive changes in the tourism industry can result in improving the social life of the country because the trends in the tourists’ attracting are closely connected with the rates of unemployment within the country.
Tourism industry should be developed in Greece in order to contribute to maintaining the economic stability in the country. It is important to concentrate on the issue that tourism industry develops in various regions of Greece differently, and this fact is also significant for the country’s economic progress.
Recommendations to visitors
- Before visiting Greece, it is important to pay attention to the necessary vaccinations and medications. The vaccinations are not required for the representatives of the USA and Canada.
- The aspects of the standardization of the Greek hotels differ from the international rules to rate the hotels. That is why, it is important to pay attention to the rate of the chosen hotel with references to the both systems of rating in order to avoid possible problems with determining the required facilities.
- A lot of tourists can experience difficulties associated with the fact that many people in Greece have the habit to smoke. That is why, it is important to focus on the places which are divided into the areas for smokers and non-smokers and where smoking is forbidden.
- The choice of the time for travelling in Greece can depend on the season in the country. Thus, many tourists can experience problems while visiting Greece during the rainy season (Bowman and Kerasiotis).
Works Cited
Bowman, John, and Peter Kerasiotis. Frommer’s Greece. USA: Frommers, 2010. Print.
Buhalis, Dimitrios. “Relationships in the Distribution Channel of Tourism: Conflicts between Hoteliers and Tour Operators in the Mediterranean Region”. Journal of International Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Administration 1.1 (2000): 113–39. Print.
Buhalis, Dimitrios, and Dimitrios Diamantis. “Tourism Development and Sustainability on the Greek Archipelagos”. Tourism in the Mediterranean. Ed. Georg Apostolopoulos and Dimitrios Ioannides. USA: Routledge, 2001. 28-50. Print.
Clark, Richard. Crete – A Notebook: Journeys through a Mystical Landscape. Greece: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. Print.
Dubin, Marc. Greece Athens and the Mainland. Greece: DK Travel, 2011. Print.
Duke, Philip. The Tourists Gaze, the Cretans Glance: Archaeology and Tourism on a Greek Island. USA: Left Coast Press, 2007. Print.
Mak, James. Tourism and the Economy: Understanding the Economics of Tourism. USA: University of Hawaii Press, 2003. Print.
Wickens, Eric. “Rethinking Tourists’ Experiences”. Motivations, Behaviour and Tourist Types. Ed. Marc Robinson. Sunderland: Business Education Publishers, 2000. 455–472. Print.