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Creation of DMO in Corfu in the pipeline

Corfu Tourism
26 Nov 2018 / 09:46

CORFU. The Tourism Promotion Committee and tourism bodies met at the Old Town Hall.

The Tourism Promotion Committee met at the Old Town Hall on Thursday chaired by Deputy Mayor for Tourism Vassilis Kavadias. The main topic of discussion was the establishment of a Destination Management Organization (DMO), which tourism professionals have been requesting for years now.

The following topics were discussed at the meeting:

1. Evaluation of Corfu tourism this year.
2. Discussion and proposals for the establishment of a DMO in Corfu.
3. Preparations for the Programme of Actions for the Promotion of Corfu Tourism in 2019.

The meeting included tourism organizations and other professionals (without a vote) so that all members of the industry could be involved in the policy making.

Participating Organizations

The following took part in the meeting:

Corfu Hoteliers' Association, OEBEK (Federation of Manufacturing & Trading Professionals), Federation of Tourist Accommodation Owners, Union of Shipping Agents and a representative from the Association of Corfu Travel Agents (AOCTA). Kostas Tsoumanis, a specialist in the industry, also took part. Corfu Hotel Employees' Union and the Workers' Centre were also invited but did not attend.

Other representatives from organizations involved in tourism were also present in order to provide information:

The Ionian University, Corfu Chefs' Club, FedHatta, Corfu Business Association and the Hotel Managers' Association. The Western Greece Union of Tourist Guides, Corfu Port Authority and the Private Coach Owners' Union were also invited but did not attend.

The proposal put forward by the Local Authority for discussion was the creation of a Corfu Municipal Development Company to manage Corfu's tourism and cultural product with the participation of the Ionian University, the Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations.

The Tourism Promotion Committee voted unanimously in favour.

The experience of other destinations

So far, DMOs have been set up in three Greek cities - Athens, Thessaloniki and Kalamata. It was thus agreed unanimously to invite these organizations to a seminar in which they can present their experiences.