Tourism can create 360,000 jobs in next eight years
The tourism sector can create up to 360,000 new jobs in the next eight years should the upward momentum of arrivals from abroad grow from 17 million this year to 24 million in 2021, according to the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE).
Such a prospect would also generate revenues of 18-19 billion euros on an annual basis, from the projected 11 billion euros for 2013. The tourism sector will be able to create 45,000 new jobs annually on average if the momentum is maintained.
However, the head of SETE, Andreas Andreadis, admitted that there are problems in the state-subsidized program for the temporary employment of 10,000 young people in tourism. No more than 250 contracts for the theoretical and practical training of young people have been signed to date, while another 1,800 are in the process of being signed. Given that the program ends in October 2014, one cannot expect any spectacular improvements, said Andreadis.
