Olympic Games & Tourism: The Greek Experience

Mr. Georgios DrakopoulosDirector General, SETE - Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises

Vice Chairman, UNWTO Affiliate Members

International Tourism ConferenceTourism as Inducer of Development, Social Inclusion and Regional Integration

28 and 29 November 2011, Fortaleza, Brazil

•Hosting the Olympic Games -Communication issues•Media interest•Capacity•Readiness•Safety & Security•Hotel prices•Destination overload

•New tourism policy

•Greek tourism today

•Recommendations

Contents

Rio 2016 121st IOC Session, Copenhagen, 2 October 2009

Round 1 2 3

Rio de Janeiro 26 46 66

Madrid 28 29 32

Tokyo 22 20  

Chicago 18

 

Pre Games Period

•Increased media interest

•Organizing issues Capacity?

Readiness?Safety & Security?

Hosting the Olympic Games - Communication issues

Year of the GamesFears for:

•Price increases •Very busy at destination

Mass media exposure

1997 2007GR

2009 2016 2019BR

2004

Mass media content focus

1997 2004 2007

2009 2016 2019BR

GR

General information

Infrastructure,Safety…

Olympic Games

Tourist information

Overload,Prices…

Capacity

Sports venues needed 33

Non-sport venues needed 13

Total 46

Existing 12

New 34

Readiness

2004 - Will Greece make it?

March 2004, 5 months before the Games

Greece has a new government

Please remind me when is the starting date of the Games?

1st meeting of the cabinet…PM asks the Sports and Culture Minister (SCM):

13th of August!

Oh! It is tomorrow! And we have so many projects pending! The opening ceremony is in the morning or in the evening?

Fantastic! Plenty of time! The projects will be ready!

Late in the evening Mr. PM, 21:30.

PMSCM

Safety

By the 1980s, violence and crime plagued the country, and Rio was perceived as the sort of place where walking down the street was asking for a mugging. Cariocas began to fear for the future of their city.

Rio remains a deeply, deeply disturbing place. Three million of the city's 14 million live in favelas, beyond government control, under the medieval-style governance of drug lords. In 2008, there were some 5,000 murders.

Security

•C4I,CCTV, GIS…65 interrelated systems

•Cost: €650 mi.

•Security staff: 41.000

•205 special security trainings

•11 operational readiness exercises

Prices increase?Athens hotels (3* to 5*)

Very busy at the destination?Athens hotels (3* to 5*)

Very busy at the destination?Athens hotels (3* to 5*)

Year Arrivals %

Receipts

mi. €%

2003 12.468.411 9.495,30

2004 11.735.556 -5,88% 10.347,80 8,98%

2004 - Greek Tourism Performance

2004 - Greece: European football champion

It was a success….

“Expectations Surpassed by Athens”The Sunday Times

“Proud Athens Emerges In Triumph”The Sunday Telegraph

“The Greeks are the world’s greatest myth making people and they have given us a series of tales and a collection of elemental heroes that will haunt our imaginations.”

The Times

“… So much unpredictability in a frame of such beautiful blue. The Athens Games were a triumph”The Telegraph

Media Impact

• 35.000 hrs of TV coverage of the Games - 3.000 channels from 203 countries

• 4.000 hrs direct coverage from Athens Olympic Broadcasting

• 3,9 billion worldwide TV viewers

• € 1,5 billion revenues from TV

• On average TV hours 14 for a European 17,5 for a Greek 29 for a Chinese

• 16.000 representatives from radio

• 5.500 representatives from paper press and photographers

Greek brand: 5 yrs ahead

Increase in visits & exports

New patterns for tourismUrban improvementCreation of new attractionsNew attitude of the operatorsStructuring efficient management

More impact

Greece as a tourist destination

???

Olympic Games and Evolution of Awareness

100%

25%

Olympic Games Year

1 2 Year-1 3

Awareness of the brand

New Policies

• Product

• Marketing

• Branding

• Communication

Short term long term

+Accomplishment of Key Factors

+Com

petit

ive

Situ

atio

n

+Dem

and

proj

ectio

ns

+Profitability

Strongly InvestMake it

Excellent

Invest to ImproveCompetitiveness

Invest to ImproveAttractiveness

Competitiveness Plan

Invest Selectively

Invest

AttractivenessPlan

Invest Selectively

Manage Growth

Control Growth

Strongly Manage or Abandon

+Attr

activ

enes

s

+ Competitiveness

Portfolio Strategy

Sea & Sun

Wellness Tourism

Touring

City Breaks

Conference

Nautical

Countryside

Cultural

Gastronomy

9 Product - Specific Marketing Plans

Greek tourism - Post Olympic Results

Arrivals %Receipts (mi. €) %

2004 11.735.556 -5,88% 10.347,80 8,98%

2005 12.902.048 9,94% 10.729,50 3,69%

2006 13.993.371 8,46% 11.356,70 5,85%

2007 16.165.265 15,52% 11.319,20 -0,33%

2008 15.938.806 -1,40% 11.635,90 2,80%

2009 14.914.534 -6,43% 10.400,20 -10,62%

2010 15.007.490 0,62% 9.611,30 -7,59%

2011(est.) 16.500.000 9,95% 10.572,43 10,00%

Recommendations

Design Olympic Strategies

for 3 periods:

Olympic yearPre Olympic Post Olympic

Establish Olympic Unit

within EMBRATUR

                    

Thank you for your attention

I wish you a fantastic Olympic experience!