On Tuesday, Google announced a plan that will improve Greek tourism’s online communication tools, in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).
The “Grow Greek Tourism Online” project aims to provide enterprises operating in the tourism sector with the necessary internet-related skills and tools that will help them boost their business even after the end of the summer season.
Although online searches for vacations in Greece are high during the greater part of the year, about 70% of tourist arrivals is recorded during the summer months, mainly between June and September. According to a recent study by Oxford Economics, a rise in internet searches for Greek tourism facilities could increase the country’s GDP by up to 3% and create up to 100,000 new jobs.
Businesses will receive support in learning how to use tools such as Google My Business and Google AdWords to improve their presence in search results and Google Maps, as well as promote their offers in low seasons. In addition, applications such as Google Street View, which has been launched in Greece since early June, will help highlight the country’s beauty.
The initiative will be launched on the island of Crete with events in Heraklion and Chania on September 2 and 3 respectively. Local businesses, even indirectly related to tourism, can sign up to attend the events at g.co/GrowGreekTourism.
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni noted that the use of innovative online tools were one more step toward extending the tourist season while EOT General Secretary Panos Livadas said that, according to studies, use of the internet could increase demand by up to 20%.
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