Nikolaos Dimadis, President of the National Greek Tourism Organization, was born 1940 in Thessaloniki. After graduating the Thessaloniki University, he studied economics in Paris, France. Over 1967-1982 he was a Lecturer in History of Economic Analysis and Theory of Development at the 8th University in the French capital. In 1982, he became the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Greece to the European Communities, and three years later took on the post of Greek Ambassador to Venezuela. For two years (1996 - 1998) Mr Dimadis was Special Advisor to Greece's Minister of National Defense. From 1999 to 2001, he was chairman of the Political-Military Steering Committee (PMSC) of the Multinational Peace Force for Southeastern Europe, and for the next two years was the Special Advisor to the Minister of Development on International Relations and European Policies. Mr Dimadis speaks Greek, French, English and Spanish.
He spoke to Novinite.com editor Petya Bondokova.
Q: What were the main reasons for Greece to be chosen as host of the Olympic Games?
A: First of all, we should not forget that the Olympic Games have a special relation with Greece. They have been created in Greece, and the first modern Olympic Games took place in Greece 108 years ago. In that sense, that was the first reason for this choice.
The second is that Greece reached maturity in its economic development. We are actually a European country, integrated in the European monetary union, having a very satisfactory standard of life, good organization, good infrastructure, great safety and security. And, of course, there is well-developed democratic system and modern organization.
I would like to add that through Greece the interest of the international community is also expressed for the whole area. It will be a great advantage for the future and for us Greeks, but also for our neighbors and friends like the Bulgarians.
Q: People from which countries form the largest part of foreign tourists in Greece?
A: The two countries from where we have the largest number of tourists are Germany and the UK. But Europe in general is very present in the composition of our visitors.
Q: Do other Balkans countries, as Bulgaria, have the potential to benefit from the Greek Olympics?
A: I think that all Balkan countries have such opportunities. Of course, some of them - Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia - are particularly advanced in this field. I think countries that are direct neighbors of Greece, like Bulgaria and Turkey, will have bigger opportunities that other Balkan countries which are more far away.
Q: How many foreigners do you expect in Greece, and to how many could the country provide accommodations?
A: We are expecting for the whole 2004 around 50,000,000 people. A considerable effort has been made in order the meet this extra demand. Many hotels, especially high-class ones, have been constructed and many older hotels have been renovated and expanded. For the period of the Olympic Games, there will also be use of cruise boats as hotels and there will be also houses and apartments.
Taking into account the increased number of beds in the so called Olympic towns where Olympic activities will take place is close to 15%, and taking into account the other facilities that I mentioned, I think that will be enough.
The most interesting will be people who will decide to combine the visit for the Olympic Games with some holidays in Greece and in neighboring countries.
Q: What do you think are the main tendencies in relations between business people in Greece and in Bulgaria, especially in the field of tourism?
A: I know that the cooperation between business people in the filed of tourism between the two countries are very good, very active, and they have developed. The two federations of travel agencies cooperate very actively and, of course, we have also participation of Greek capital in Bulgarian hotels and tourism enterprises.
That is a good thing, and I think it will be enhanced.
Q: How many times have you been to Bulgaria, and what are your favorite places in the country?
A: From my mother's side we are Greeks of Plovdiv. So I have a relation with Bulgaria and also have a particular affection for Plovdiv. I have visited Bulgaria many times. When I was in the Ministry of Defense, I was the political director of the multinational peacekeeping force based in Plovdiv, and had to come to Bulgaria many times in order to cooperate with the staff there.
I also like Sofia very much, it's a town very different from Plovdiv. The third place I visited in Bulgaria and liked very much, is Veliko Tarnovo. It was with pleasure that I heard plans were made for the development of tourism in the area of Veliko Tranovo. I think it is a very good idea.
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Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (novinite.com)
