AFEA Travel & Congress Services

07.2021

Sustainable tourism with social cohesion and investment in local communities

An event for Greek Tourism and the Transition to a Sustainable Business model, organized by CSR Hellas and supported by AFEA.

The need to review the strategy and actions of the tourism industry, given the “urgency” to address the effects of climate change and international developments in relation to sustainability issues and the governments’ commitments for the Agenda 2030, was the main topic of the online event organized by CSR HELLAS, under the title "Greek Tourism: Towards a new Sustainable Development model".

The webinar was participated by Sofia Zacharaki, the Deputy Minister of Tourism in Greece, Maria Alexiou, President of CSR HELLAS Network and important representatives of the Meetings & Tourism Industry in Greece, among them Sissy Lignou, AFEA CEO and member of IAPCO BoD, underlining the importance of this subject in the industry.

The discussion focused on the “next day” of tourism and hospitality, in the context of developments taking place on European and International level and related to Sustainability and Responsible Business issues, and to the impact of the pandemic, in creating a new form of business environment for the industry.

Among the main topics raised in the discussion, were the importance of integrating the principles of sustainable development into the strategy and operation of tourism businesses. In order to achieve this, the need for support and involvement on behalf of the government is undoubtable and crucial. On this basis, the majority of the speakers referred also to the importance of education for the younger generations and the incorporation of the subject of Sustainability in Tourism Schools.

To conclude, in the coming years, new requirements and expectations of consumers will be emerging, and these factors will affect the way tourism and hospitality operates. In this new environment, companies in the Meetings & Tourism sector are called upon to adapt by reviewing the current business-as-usual model and taking into account the new conditions that are formed on the basis of Sustainable Development and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.
Find out more about CSR Hellas Network and actions here.

05.2021

Hospitality Returns

A white paper on Greek hospitality investments by DHR Services.

AFEA was included in the White Paper published by DHR Services and AFEA CEO, Sissi Lignou, was among the 26 leaders of the tourism and business industries, sharing their insights on the future of investments in hospitality.
For the first time, key players in the industry reflect and express their opinion on how the investment landscape of the hospitality industry will be shaped in 2021. This is accompanied by quantitative research on a sample of top Tour Operators and Travel Agents, both from Greece and abroad, regarding the new era.

Source: DHR Services

03.2021

AFEA celebrates women

In the effort to celebrate the role of Women in the Meetings & Tourism Industry, as well as to highlight the power of the female element in Business in general, AFEA participated in various campaigns and actions, launched around the world on the International Women’s Day (March 8th 2021).

Wishing to thank all the women active in our organization and to show our appreciation for their continued support even during critical times, we launched a "thank you post" on all our social media channels.

AFEA CEO, Mrs. Sissi Lygnou, was invited to participate in various campaigns on the occasion of this celebration:

Greek Travel Pages (GTP) campaign, with the message #choosetochallenge, invited women in Greek Tourism, decision-makers, insiders and passionate professionals, to step up for the International Women's Day and to speak about the challenges faced in the industry and the vision, as well as the suggestions in the re-defining of Greek Tourism.

Sissi Lygnou had the opportunity to deliver a powerful message through this campaign.

“The greatest challenge ahead will be to join forces on a national level with the aim to formulate strategies for the immediate re-positioning and re-opening of our country as the ideal tourism and meetings destination.”

Our business’ focus and formats have changed, but our country has the potential and the professionals to demonstrate its ability to re-invent, re-think, re-design and to thrive, showing the world that Greece is THE place to be.”

ICOM, an established worldwide PCO and member of IAPCO, close partner of our Association, launched a campaign called "Where there is a woman, Τhere is magic", inviting women around the globe, to speak about the challenges they have been facing since the beginning of their career path and what advices they would like to give to the next generation of Women Leaders.