Tourism Law in Europe

7 (Presidential Decree 127/2017), its main purpose is to work with other Ministries for the harmonisation of policies affecting tourism development. The specific objective is to support the development of tourism, create a favourable environment for undertaking investment initiatives in the sector and improve the quality and competitiveness of the country’s tourism. Since tourism concerns either directly or indirectly all social and economic activity of the country, almost every Ministry develops actions related to tourism. According to the revision of the Organisation Statutes of the Ministries that took place during 2017, the Ministries with more linkages to the tourism activities are the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Tourism also cooperates closely with the other interested Ministries as well as with other tourism bodies, such as the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) and the Research Institute for Tourism 2 . The Ministry of Tourism operates and supervises a network of 14 Regional Tourism Services (Presidential Degree 127/2017, article 20) that license and inspect tourism businesses, conduct quality control, monitor official classifications and regulate the sector. At the regional and local levels, Regions and Municipalities plan and implement programmes and activities for tourism development and promotion. All promotional activities require the approval of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) 3 , in order to ensure that these campaigns align with the national strategy for tourism promotion. 2 The Research Institute for Tourism is a non-profit organisation, founded in 1996, with the initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Hoteliers (ξΕΕ) and other tourism agents and bodies. Its main objective is the study of the tourism sector in Greece and other competitive countries. 3 The GNTO (EOT in Greek) is the governmental body for the promotion of tourism in Greece and functions under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism.