Deputy Minister of National Defence Giannis Kefalogiannis Attends Opening of Military Tourism Commission Works

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Deputy Minister of National Defence Giannis Kefalogiannis Attends Opening of Military Tourism Commission Works

October 10, 2024

On Thursday, 10 October 2024, the Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Giannis Kefalogiannisattended the opening of the Military Tourism Commission's works with the Deputy Minister of Tourism Ms. Elena Rapti.

In his intervention, Mr. Kefalogiannis stressed that the objectives of this institutional initiative focus on highlighting military historical heritage, creating an attractive and sustainable tourist product, and promoting Greece internationally as a destination with a rich military past. At the same time, he stressed that the joint action plan to be prepared within the following semester must focus on highlighting and restoring historical sites, creating thematic routes, promoting educational and cultural actions, international cooperation and promotion, as well as achieving connection with the local community and businesses, while he thanked the Deputy Minister of Tourism for a very constructive cooperation.

Within the framework of the Commission's works, the Deputy Minister of National Defence stated, among others, the following:

"It is a great pleasure to be here at the opening of the Joint Military History Coordinating Commission, an institutional initiative aimed at highlighting the pivotal role of military history in the shaping of our country's tourist programme.

The Memorandum of Cooperation lays the foundation for a comprehensive strategy in the area of military tourism, setting clear goals and actions. Our main objectives focus on highlighting military historical heritage, creating an attractive and sustainable tourist product, and promoting Greece internationally as a destination with a rich military past.

Within the next six months, a joint action plan must be prepared to include certain initiatives and actions aimed at highlighting and promoting our military tourist resources. This plan must be realistic and achievable in order to have actual results.

It must focus, among others, on:

• Highlighting and restoring military historical sites:One of the main duties of the commission is the cooperation with competent authorities of the Ministry of Culture and other authorities to locate and restore military monuments and sites. I call upon the commission to prepare a list of priorities and submit proposals to improve the infrastructure and access to these sites.

• Creating thematic routes:The planning of thematic tourist routes connecting military historical sites in various areas of Greece is critical. In cooperation with local authorities and tourist organisations, I call upon you to propose certain routes in order to highlight the connection of our military history to tourism.

• Promoting educational and cultural actions:We have a responsibility to enhance our military history education. I encourage you to cooperate with academic institutions and was museums, proposing actions such as educational programmes, exhibitions, and conferences. This will contribute to the cultivation of historical memory and bring military memory closer to the younger generation.

• International cooperation and promotion:One of the most important roles of the commission is to promote Greece internationally as a military tourism destination. I call upon the members of the commission to look into cooperation prospects with international bodies and tourist organisations to organise events, conferences, and exchanges of visitors on military subjects.

• Connecting with the local community and businesses: It is critical to ensure that local communities and businesses will benefit from military tourism. I ask the members to look into ways to cooperate with the local bodies and include them in the planning and implementation of the actions.

Your duties are critical to the success of this initiative. With your contribution, I am certain that we will be able to make military tourism a strong pillar of our national strategy, to the benefit of the economy, the local community, and the international image of the country.

Thank you for your participation and I await with great interest your proposals and actions for the implementation of these goals".