Actions to support SMEs in Greek tourism sector – Emphasis on energy upgrading

The major issues concerning the hotel industry, with a more specific focus on supporting SME tourism businesses to deal with energy accuracy, were at the center of a teleconference in which the Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas, the Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, the President of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), Yannis Retsos and the President of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers Grigoris Tassios participated.

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The Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas, presented the new “Save – Business” Program, which is expected to be implemented with resources from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, amounting to 200 million euros. The program, which aims to improve the energy efficiency of small and medium enterprises, includes a special fund of 100 million euros for the tourism sector.

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Mr. Skrekas also mentioned that the possibility of creating hotel energy communities, which could be included in a virtual energy offsetting scheme, is being considered.

Energy upgrade

In the teleconference, reference was made to the benefits of energy upgrading of hotel facilities and it was agreed that there will be special care both for the smallest hotels with less than 150 beds and for those located in mountainous areas and facing the greatest difficulties in terms of energy costs. The new action which comes to be added to the horizontal state subsidy of heating oil by 25 cents, will include, among other things, costs for electromechanical equipment, thermal insulation operations and the installation of renewable energy systems.

The Minister of Tourism Mr. Kikilias pointed out that the government is implementing its commitment to help mountain destinations in practice through these actions that upgrade the offered tourist product, contributing at the same time to the goal of sustainable tourism development, while at the same time they continue to be highlighted through the campaigns of EOT.