He said that sufficient beds had been secured for the Olympic family and that the quality of the units was being checked as was the availability of accommodation for all tourist budgets.
Christodoulakis indicated confidence that the Games would assist in enhancing Greece’s tourism offer and convince Olympic visitors to return to the country for a vacation.
“This is not a typical competition involving a few sports. It is a major event for the entire country. And I believe we should see it as an opportunity to open a new chapter in the general development of tourism, first of all, but also in culture, economic growth, technology and other areas,” he said.
In an effort to draw benefits from the Games through an increase in tourism to Greece both qualitatively and quantitatively, the development ministry intends working closely with the culture ministry, the Athens 2004 Games Organising Committee and the Athens hoteliers union.
Christodoulakis recently met with Spiros Divanis, president of the hoteliers union, to discuss the issue of hotel bed capacity while he intends to see the culture minister early this week.
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