Greece has adopted a new tourism strategy for the US market in a move designed to double the number of American tourists to the country, Development Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos said yesterday.

Speaking to tourist organizations and travel agencies in New York yesterday on the last leg of a five-day visit to the USA, Tsochadzopoulos said the new program should draw half a million American tourists annually to Greece at the end of three years, compared with the current inflow of 200,000-250,000 yearly. ‘We believe it is easy to reach the 500,000-mark annually,” he said.

Tsochadzopoulos said the key to this ambitious target lies in the government’s new approach toward the US market which involves the use of a professional marketing strategy and the adoption of a three-year time frame.

The minister said the campaign, running from 2002 to 2004, also seeks to take advantage of the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games with a long-term program to stretch over seven years.

He also referred to plans to draw up an Internet-based scheme with the help of corresponding organizations in the USA. He pointed to the importance of Greek-Americans who could play a catalytic role in publicizing Greece’s tourist attractions to their fellow citizens.