Greece to introduce sustainability certification scheme for hotels

Greece is to introduce a sustainability certification scheme for hotels while investing in the promotion of city breaks, the islands and less well known parts of the country.

Speaking on a panel at Abta’s Travel Convention, Eleni Skarveli, UK and Ireland director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, said all future tourism development would be sustainable.

“It’s important to create new investments under sustainable criteria,” she said, describing sustainability as a “necessity”.

Plans to roll out a new sustainable hotel rating system across all three to five star hotels were in the pipeline, she said.

But she admitted it would not be easy, adding: “It will be a bit challenging. Sustainability is something we need to embrace, not just in five-star hotels. That takes a lot of time but we feel that with the right partners we can do this.”

She said the rating system would not be part of an existing international scheme, adding: “The plan is to start with the [Greek] hoteliers association, to do it internally.”

Skarveli said Greece was confident of tourism growth as it continued its focus on lesser known areas and extended its peak season into the shoulder seasons of March and November, offering cheaper holidays and less crowded resorts for those who could travel outside school holidays.