Greece`s tourism policies are being hampered by ineffective communication and cannot progress unless this aspect is improved , participants at a conference on the northeast Aegean island of Chios  were told last week.

Dr. Gerasimos Zacharatos, who heads the postgraduate programme in tourism studies at the University of the Aegean, told the convention that tourism consumption was a necessary tool in the creation of related policies.

He said that annual figures on tourism earnings do not correspond with reality, noting that the problem is even more pronounced for Greece`s islands due to difficulties in gathering statistics.

Paris Tsartas, professor of tourist development, said the conference, titled "Tourism in island regions and specific destinations", was the largest scientific conference focusing on tourism ever held in Greece. He noted it marked the start of a vital dialogue between representatives and academics.

The event`s aims include:

• · Proving the need for an organised tourism policy. · Analysing tourism and the prospects for greater profits. · Applying new technologies on islands and in isolated regions.