The Reduction of Hospitality Studies from 4 to 3 Years Sparks Backlash in Crete

Crete has had enough — and frankly, who can blame her?
At a time when Greek tourism depends on well-trained professionals more than ever, the government has decided that the solution is… less training.

Specifically, reducing the duration of studies at the ASTR and ASTEK Tourism Schools from 4 years to 3 years. Yes, someone actually thought that was a good idea.

A Meeting With the Ministry That Clarified Absolutely Nothing

The controversy exploded after the POΔΙΞ board met with Deputy Tourism Minister Anna Karamanli. According to those present, the meeting delivered the usual: polite smiles, concerned nods, and no actual commitments.

Not one. No timeline, no plan, no promise to address the empty classrooms, outdated equipment, or operational gaps.

Crete’s reaction? A collective, exhausted: “Seriously?”

Sfakianakis: “Three Years Serve No One“

Giorgos Sfakianakis, president of the Pancretan Association of Hotel Directors, stated the obvious — and did so beautifully:

• A three-year program reduces academic recognition.
• It blocks students from continuing into bachelor’s programs.
• It limits career progression.
• And worst of all, it undermines the only tourism schools whose graduates actually stay in the tourism sector.

Meanwhile, many graduates of university tourism programs never set foot in a hotel again.
ASTR and ASTEK are the schools that feed the industry directly — so naturally, let’s make them weaker.

Crete’s Message to Athens: “Do Not Shrink Us — Strengthen Us.“

At the POΔΙΞ meeting, the federation’s president, Giorgos Pelekanakis, said what the entire island is thinking:

Greece cannot stay at the top of global tourism by hoping for the best and posting sunset videos on social media. You need trained professionals, fluent in modern hospitality, technology, and sustainability.

The four-year curriculum was not a whim. It was carefully developed in 2021 to align with European standards. Rolling it back now is not reform. It is downgrading with confidence.

ASTR and ASTEK Already Struggle. This Makes It Worse.

The schools are already operating with:

• staffing shortages,
• facility deficiencies,
• outdated equipment,
• and rising demand from an industry desperate for skilled workers.

Cutting a year is like telling someone with a flat tire, “Do not worry, we removed the spare wheel too. Now you are lighter.”

POΔΙΞ wants the four-year program reinstated immediately, reminding everyone that these schools are the talent pipeline of Greece’s hotel sector — especially in Crete, where hospitality is not a job but an economic lifeline.

The Real Question: What Kind of Tourism Workforce Does Greece Want?

This is not about bureaucratic adjustments. It is about the future of Greek tourism.

While global tourism demands:

• higher specialization,
• stronger digital skills,
• deeper sustainability knowledge,
• and more professional training…

Greece is offering its students a shorter degree and a smile.

If the goal is to compete with Europe’s best, shrinking education is absolutely the wrong direction — unless the strategy is to rely entirely on charm, luck, and frappe.

And Let’s Not Pretend the Hiring Reality Is Any Different

There is another unpleasant truth everyone in Crete knows but rarely says aloud: many hotels prefer to hire foreign workers instead of locals — because they are cheaper.

Seasonal staff flown in from abroad will often accept:

• lower wages,
• longer hours,
• fewer days off,
• and far less negotiation.

Why? Because for them, even a reduced Greek salary can be better than what they earn back home.
For hotel owners, the math is irresistible. For local workers, it is infuriating. And for tourism schools, it raises the obvious question:

Why train high-level professionals if employers increasingly chase the lowest bidder?

This practice undercuts local talent, weakens the very sector that claims to seek excellence, and makes the decision to shorten studies look even more absurd. If Greece wants a world-class workforce, it needs to stop treating tourism professionals like a budget line and start valuing the people who actually keep the industry alive.