Economy

The 26th Greek Economy Conference, titled "Investment & Growth: Building a National Plan", starts today in Athens, with the participation of high-level officials, academics and businessmen. The 2-day conference is organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, aiming to promote economic and business relations between the United States and Greece, by providing a forum for an exchange of views on matters of mutual business and commercial interest.

Speakers today include US Ambassador to Greece David Pearce presenting the US perspective, while the Greek Minister of Finance Euclid Tsakalotos will address the issue of whether there is hope for the Greek economy. Paul B. Kazarian, founder-chairman & CEO of Japonica Partners, will be keynote speaker on the Greek debt issue and on how to accelerate the turnaround of Greek government finances. Issues to be discussed tomorrow include the recapitalization of Greek banks, the need for reforming the state and developing a positive business and investment environment, the significance of reforming public administration and developing a national energy strategy, as well as the significance of the tourism sector - a discussion that will be opened by the Greek Alternate Minister of Tourism, Elena Kountoura. The leading issue of liquidity and funding of projects and businesses will be addressed by the Deputy Minister of Economy, Alexis Charitsis, while the investment environment in Greece and how to attract foreign funds will also be discussed. Finally, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, will be the keynote speaker to close the conference.

Tourism

The 2nd International Tourism Fair, Greek Tourism Expo 2015, will take place December 4 -December 6, in Athens. Organised by Leaderexpo-Leadertech under the auspices of Visit Greece, the second edition of the Fair aims to become the leading B2B exhibition for the Greek travel industry, promoting Greece to the world’s leading source markets. It will present all types of tourism products offered in Greece and sellers from every sector of the travel industry.

This year, a special section of the event will focus on luxury travel in Greece, featuring entrepreneurs active in boutique hotels, luxury villas and luxury travel companies. Hosted Buyers from the Gulf countries, Iran, Qatar, India and Lebanon have been invited to attend. Parallel events will include workshops on online marketing, e-travel, hospitality management and web applications for hotels and travel agencies.

Gastronomy

The Christmas Food Festival organized by Athinorama magazine will open its doors at HELEXPO Maroussi exhibition centre in Athens, from December 4 to December 6.

With the slogan "Try, buy, celebrate!", the festival invites the public to a free, endless sampling of selected delicacies. Visitors can buy goodies for the Christmas table, choose unique gifts for their friends, learn the secrets of renowned chefs and have fun while enjoying the festive event.