Published in www.efsyn.gr: 07.06.2020
Covid-19 suddenly appeared in our lives and changed them - at least temporarily – in a dramatic way. The impact on the economy in general and on tourism particularly will be significant, but not irreversible.
On the other hand, climate change has been threatening us for a long time. It has made its presence-threat felt in a few cases and will make it more intense in the near future. However, the effects of climate change, if not addressed in time, that is, today, they will NOT be reversible!
Tourism, being "vulnerable" for the moment to emergencies and extreme situations such as Covid-19, then it is expected to be far more “vulnerable” than today in the future to constant situations-threats, certainly with higher impact, such as climate change.
Obviously, climate change is not just about tourism, but that cannot be an excuse for not being included in the priorities of our tourism policy, as it must be shaped by public-private partnership. The reaction to climate change is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU has initiated the Green Deal. We, as Greek Tourism, even with a considerable delay, must join forces in a Climate Friendly Travel effort, because if no action is taken today, our choice tomorrow will be between "freeze or fry".
George Drakopoulos
Founder & CEO TOURISM GENERIS