- Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and Assistant Director-General for Culture Nayef Al-Fayez at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
- Discussions centered on integrating cultural preservation with sustainable tourism models, extending the tourism season, and supporting local communities.
- Key priorities included safeguarding heritage sites from climate change and implementing responsible visitor-management strategies.
- Minister Kefalogianni proposed strengthening joint initiatives between UNESCO and UN Tourism to promote responsible, inclusive tourism development worldwide.
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni traveled to Paris for a series of high-level meetings with UNESCO leadership, aiming to cement Greece’s position as a global leader in sustainable cultural tourism and heritage preservation.
Bridging Culture and Sustainable Tourism
Accompanied by Greece’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, and General Secretary of Tourism Policy and Development Vasiliki Koutsoukou, Minister Kefalogianni met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany—former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities—and Assistant Director-General for Culture Nayef Al-Fayez, former Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
During the discussions, the Greek delegation underscored that culture must serve as the cornerstone of a high-quality, resilient tourism model. Rather than focusing solely on major monuments and archaeological sites, Greece is championing a broader approach that includes intangible cultural heritage, local traditions, gastronomy, and community creativity. This strategy aims to spread tourism benefits across broader regions while naturally extending the travel season.
Protecting Heritage for Future Generations
A central focus of the Paris talks was the urgent need to couple tourism growth with robust heritage preservation. Both Greek and UNESCO officials emphasized the importance of:
- Responsible Visitor Management: Mitigating overcrowding at sensitive historical landmarks.
- Climate Resilience: Strengthening cultural sites against the escalating impacts of climate change.
- Local Empowerment: Ensuring host communities actively participate in and benefit from tourism development.
UNESCO leadership commended Greece’s proactive stance, highlighting the organization’s ongoing mission to link heritage protection with intercultural dialogue and sustainable practices. The parties explored concrete avenues for future cooperation, including joint initiatives, knowledge exchange, and the development of specialized cultural routes.
Furthermore, Minister Kefalogianni proposed forging closer institutional ties between UNESCO and UN Tourism (United Nations Tourism). By bridging these global agencies, Greece hopes to pioneer international frameworks that ensure tourism acts as a protective shield for cultural wealth and a bridge for cross-cultural understanding.
