Dep. Tourism Minister Rapti: Tourism education of strategic importance; messages for 2024 very encouraging

Rapti also expressed her optimism saying the messages received from abroad are very encouraging for 2024.

Deputy Tourism Minister Elena Rapti in an interview with Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Monday (Christmas) pointed out that the tourism education for the development of a modern, sustainable and quality tourism model is of strategic importance and referred to the fact that 80 percent of Higher School of Tourism Education and of Tourism Ministry’ Vocational Training Institutes (IEK) students are absorbed by the labour market.

She also said that the Tourism ministry has launched the largest subsidised educational programme for workers and temporary unemployed in the tourism industry with at least 18,000 participants that will receive 1,250 euros compensation for their participation. Referring to the major problem of the housing of the workers at tourism destinations, she noted that the ministry is seeking for solutions as real estate development and in parallel is examined the possibility to turn old hotels into residences.

At the same time, Rapti referring to the development of the alternative forms of tourism she noted that the Tourism ministry is striving to upgrade the existing and promote the construction of new infrastructure works that will concern the alternative forms of tourism as the diving and underwater tourism, the cycling tourism, the agro-tourism and the gastronomy tourism.

Rapti also expressed her optimism saying the messages received from abroad are very encouraging for 2024.