January 17, 1955
GEORGIOS I. RALLIS: Minister to the Prime Minister Mr Georgios Rallis announced an important tourism development program for Greece yesterday. Following the recent government re-shuffle, the Tourism Organization, now separated from the Trade Ministry to which it formerly belonged, has been added to the Ministry to the Prime Minister for the purpose of giving a decisive boost to an important sector of national activity that had previously been neglected. According to the data presented by Rallis yesterday (…) total revenues from tourism exchange in 1954 amounted to $24.5 million. In 1954, 158,000 tourists visited Greece, with Americans topping the list. Overseas Greeks numbered 23,000 (…). It is believed certain that if certain projects to serve foreign travelers are completed and if an appropriate tourism policy is followed, there is scope for quadrupling foreign exchange revenues to $100 million annually. The importance of the tourism industry to Greece is obvious considering the fact that with the construction of major public works, such as the Ptolemaida power plant, the foreign exchange benefit will surpass $25 million annually.
