The huge markets of Iran, Japan, China, South America, the Middle East, the Gulf countries are here. Give them the opportunity to show their influence. Open new small regional airports beyond the distance limits regarding the AIA. These airports will be cheap, and those operating in them will give them life with their own funds.
Plans on paper again and again, both from the Regional Governor of Attica and the highly esteemed Greek Minister of Tourism. They want a year-round tourism in Attica. They invoke new action plans, strategic marketing and other grandiose stuff.
The Greek Minister, Ms E. Kountouras, in particular, boasted about the number of Tourists in Hellas reaching 26.0 million in 2015. She said: “… the Ministry’s objective is that the country will reach the top five most popular countries in the world.” She forgot to mention anything, though, about the desirable quality of tourism.
Because it seems that she doesn’t object at all about the hordes of Britons that revile our country with their behavior and the continuous minimization of their contribution to the free tourist market. She also seems to forget that the more than 2.0 million German tourists that are equally products of massive incoming tourism that offer minimal added value to the free market.
We pressure and chronically ruminate, writing about the same things. How will you ladies bring year-round tourism in this country, when the vested interests of the multinational giants that look down on us? When the market, the shops, all the small businesses suffer, because the all-inclusive packages have everything prepaid? You want a more qualitative tourism?
Aim at new markets in third world countries, with standards. Which? When? Do they exist? Undoubtedly.
Do you have long-term planning for attracting them? Do you have comparative attraction advantages? Or do you only have you joyful presence at the international exhibitions, with zero strategic motives? Is our Country really a lonesome nation?
Of course not! It can claim a better future in global tourism.
It requires a pluralism of infrastructure, courage and disposition for a mild conflict with those who want the Hellenic tourism to be the “obedient child”.
But how can one dare to speak of quality increase when the fifth most powerful country in global tourism, always according to our Government Officials, lacks higher education in the field? Why do you let the “Mega Carriers” of the few Mega Hotels, establish a “state within the state” in the country? One can assert! But can anyone any containment in the free market? Certainly not.
But one can offer capabilities to the new forces in the sector, in order to reduce the undeclared work, to create the new generation of managers who will have an opinion, and will not be docile instruments of the big bosses.
The huge markets of Iran, Japan, China, South America, the Middle East, the Gulf countries are here. Give them the opportunity to show their influence. Open new small regional airports beyond the distance limits regarding the AIA. These airports will be cheap, and those operating in them will give them life with their own funds. Because these investors exist. Create flight schools, man the wretched Hellenic civil aviation with technocrats. Reorient the cruise markets. Remove the comparative advantages from the geopolitical competitors of Hellas. Give birth to the new hellenic tourism with the prospect of a substantial qualitative course. Leave your true transcendental positive mark in Hellas’ biggest industry. Dare or otherwise stagnation lurks.
We, as technocrats, are here, to offer our assistance. Let it come to life!
Emmanuel A. Gyzis is managing partner of Emmanuel A. Gyzis & Associates Law Offices.
Emmanuel A. Gyzis is managing partner of Emmanuel A. Gyzis & Associates Law Offices.
He was born in Athens, Greece, 13 January 1947; admitted to Athens Bar Association 1974. Education: University of Athens, Law School (1972), London, (L.LM. 1980), specialized in Aviation Law and originally worked in the respective field on behalf of British Tour Operators and Charter companies.
With longstanding journalistic and writing activity, his articles have been published in financial newspapers and magazines specialized in Aviation and Tourism. Author of pioneering monographs on the development issues of Olympic Airways (1989), he has published during a course of many years, a series of articles regarding its viability, its position in the international environment, as well as for other private airlines in general, while at the same time he participated in relevant International and Greek Conferences and Organizations. Successful and long-term engagement with issues regarding private airports / heliports, Low Cost Carriers (LCC), Aircraft Fractional Ownership, Ground handling matters. At his law firm “EMM. GYZIS AND ASSOCIATES”, together with a group of specialized associates he deals mainly with aviation law issues (cooperation with construction companies for commercial aircraft and leasing companies) and tourism law issues, specializing in mass tourism from/ to Greece and occasionally cooperating with Tour Operators. Since 1993, he has founded a number of Greek and foreign airline companies, on behalf of his clients, in accordance with the applicable legal status. He has participated in committees for the drafting of legislation regarding air transport, such as private airports, the Presidential Decree for private heliports and the Basic Legislation of the Aviation Code and he is the General Secretary of the Hellenic Aviation Society. For many years, he has been studying emerging markets, as a consultant for foreign companies, which plan to invest worldwide.
LANGUAGES: English.
MEMBER: Athens Bar Association, International Bar Association, European Society of International Law (ESIL), American Society of International Law (ASIL), British-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Greek-American Union, Hellenic Aviation Society.
PRACTICE AREAS: Aviation Law, Aerospace Law, Tourism and Transport Law, (European) Commercial and Company Law. Arbitration. Establishment and Operation of foreign companies in Greece. Project Finance. Free Movement of Capital. Privatization. Foreign/ Hotel Investments. Mergers and Acquisitions.
