The 1st YES to Sea Tourism Forum was held during the 4th POSIDONIA Sea Tourism, on Wednesday 24 May 2017 at the hall «Nikos Skalkotas» of the Megaron International Conference Hall, with the initiative of the YES Forum Team, consisting of 40 young executives and students managed by Mrs. Danae Bezantakou, Managing Director of the NAVIGATOR SHIPPING CONSULTANTS.
YES to Sea Tourism Forum was organised under the Auspices of the Ministries of Shipping, Education, Tourism and GNTO (National Organization of Tourism) and the majority of Hellenic Universities as well as the participation of more than 600 students and executives from the sea tourism & shipping industries.
Speakers stressed the need for launching a Platform of Open Dialogue between the young generation of shipping and sea tourism and today’s executives of the above sectors, recognizing simultaneously the contribution of the organization towards this goal.
The welcoming addresses were made by Mr. Dimitrios Tryfonopoulos, General Secretary of GNTO, Mrs. Evridiki Kourneta, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism and Mr. Pafsanias Papageorgiou, General Secretary of Lifelong Learning and Young Generation.
Worth mentioning is that during the Forum, the collaboration of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Tourism was announced, regarding the upgrade of the Higher Schools of Touristic Education and the further modernization of the education provided in the 8 Public IEK (Institute of Professional Training) for Tourism.
Following YES to Shipping 2016, the Ministry of Education underlined the necessity to upgrade maritime training, to develop the level of study in shipping-related schools and to bring them in contact with the shipping community, especially in terms of training program Studies.
According to a survey conducted by Focus Bari exclusively for the YES to Sea Tourism Forum, 82% of the respondents ranked from 7 to 10 (excellent) sea tourism in terms of their professional prospects, while in terms of salaries, 66% believe they are in satisfying level in comparison with other professions. However, 80% believe that information on employment is limited.
The Vice President of Royal Caribbean, Mr. Ukko Metsola, alongside with his speech, held a dialogue with the participants, referring to key features of the cruising and yachting sector. He underlined also that basic prerequisites for the development of a young individual are will and persistence.
Among the topics raised by the speakers were that the sectors of sea tourism, cruising and yachting in Greece are filled with opportunities for young people, which they should not be afraid to pursue and exploit. At the same time, issues such as the problems and challenges involved in finding managers were discussed, advice was given on the steps a young individual has to follow at the beginning of his/her career, and all of them insisted that the right conditions in order to “stay in Greece” have to be created first by us.
It was an honor for the organisers to participate at the Forum, among others, Professors from the biggest University Institutes of the country, Senior Executives of Sea Tourism and Shipping, representatives of major organizations as well as representatives from the entire Maritime Press.
YES to Sea Tourism closed with executives from shipping industry participating in 4 networking corners with the following topics: “Chartering, Crew and Operations Departments of a Shipping Company”, “Startups, Innovation & Save Time in Shipping Agencies”, “Technical and Finance Department of a Shipping Company” and “Marine Insurance and Classification Societies”, giving advice to young people and answering their questions in reference to the above mentioned sectors/ areas.
Concluding this very successful Forum, Mrs. Danae Bezantakou invited everyone who contributed and supported YES to Sea Tourism Forum to continue this successful dialogue next year, at the 2nd YES to Shipping Forum, on 8th of June 2018 during Posidonia 2018.
By: N. Peter Kramer
