Thousands of quality trade visitors are currently attending the Xenia trade show on its third and last day. Visitors talk about a premium, targeted fair, equal to similar international events.…
The 1st International Hospitality Forum that took place on Saturday, November 25, 2017, highlighted the latest developments in the field of hospitality, as well as international hotel trends. The Forum was organized by the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) as part of the XENIA trade show, which was a Gold Sponsor for the event. The leading event of the hospitality sector took place in the presence of the Tourism Minister, Ms E. Kountoura, with the participation of leading foreign and Greek speakers from the tourism industry, consulting companies and academia.
The chairman of the HCH on modern challenges
In the packed C1 conference hall, George Tsakiris, Chairman of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, after thanking all hoteliers for their presence, talked about the “deafening invasion of the sharing economy model in hospitality.” In this context, he noted that the prerequisite for the sector to win the ‘bet’ of professional survival is education and familiarization with the new requirements of tourism: “Assimilation, integration and better exploitation of new technologies, a better approach and management of our clients’ demands, the enrichment of our services with new products, better marketing strategies, as well as the formation of hospitality syndication schemes are some of the areas where we need to mobilize in order to succeed,” stated the Chairman of the HCH.
The Minister addressed the Forum
The Minister of Tourism, Ms Elena Kountoura, also addressed the Forum and noted, among other things, that the “1st International Hospitality Forum is an excellent initiative, because it gives everyone the opportunity to set the right priorities before making the next steps in the international tourism environment.” After briefly discussing the governmental actions of the last two years, the Minister also mentioned that Tourism is one the world’s fastest growing industries, and wished every success to the 1st International Hospitality Forum.
Innovation in Hospitality
The 1st International Hospitality Forum delved into the individual changes and developments occurring in the fields of hospitality and rented accommodation, and how they affect the hospitality sector. These developments will radically change the image and perception that exists, concerning the future of the industry. Specifically, the Forum hosted four extremely interesting panels, with the participation of Greek and internationally acclaimed speakers, while focusing on subjects such as “From digitization to artificial intelligence: Hotels in the age of technology revolution,” and “Shifting consumer behaviors: a new market is rising.” Lastly, the interest of attending hoteliers was piqued by stimulating discussions, such as “Hotel renewed: new, specialized hotel products,” and “Hotel sales and marketing in the era of technology.”
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