Tourism Law in Europe

8 tourism sector. It is the one public law entity primarily associated with the development and promotion of Greek tourism, given that it has been the country’s only institution for tourism policy-making for the past 60 years. The GNTO was established in 1950 with Binding Law No. 1565/1950. It has undergone many changes, the most recent of which are those indicated in LawNo. 2160/1993, which stipulated its current status. This legal entity is governed by rules of public law and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism. According to Article 6 Law No. 3878/2010, the Greek National Tourism Organisation is managed by a nine-member board consisting of the president, the vice-president, the secretary-general and six other members, who are appointed through a decision by the Minister of Tourism and Culture published in the Greek Government Gazette. The board members serve for a renewable term of three (3) years and can be removed from office at any time. The individuals who will serve as president, vice president or secretary-general of the GNTO’s board of directors are picked among people of recognised standing who possess administrative experience. The board determines its own rules of procedure, which are approved by the Minister of Tourism and Culture and subsequently published in the Government Gazette. Under Law No. 3270/2004, the GNTO is structured around a central office, headquartered in Athens, and has had fourteen (14) regional tourism agencies since 01 January 2005. It also operates a network of offices abroad. The GNTO’s structure and each organisational unit’s competences are mandated by PD 343/2001. More specifically, the central office comprises the Directorate-General for Development, the Directorate-General for Advertising, the Directorate for Coordination of Regional Tourism Agencies and the Special Department for the Promotion and Licensing of Tourism Businesses, the Office of the President, the Press Office and the Office of the Legal Advisor. The GNTO’s mission is to organise, develop and promote tourism in Greece. More specifically, it coordinates and regulates all actions carried out by jointly responsible bodies for the purpose of advertising the tourism product in both domestic and international markets. Furthermore, it submits proposals to the Ministry of Tourism in order to shape tourism policy, implements the tourism policies set out by the government and organises and conducts programmes focused on tourism development. In fact, the