HAA and HAPCO & DES welcome the concession of Tae Kwon Do to the Region

The Hoteliers Association of Athens, Attica and Argosaronic Gulf and the Association of Greek Event and Conference Professionals welcomed with great satisfaction the concession by ETAD to the Region of Attica of the Faliro Indoor Olympic Stadium (Tae Kwon Do) and the wider coastal zone for regeneration and development.

Here is the joint announcement of the two bodies:

"The concession of the Tae Kwon Do Indoor Olympic Stadium for use by the Attica Region marked a signal of the capital's tourism development through the International Conferences and Events sector. This is a permanent request of both the Association of Greek Event Professionals and Conference Organizers (HAPCO & DES) and the Athens-Attica-Argosaronic Hoteliers Association, as well as the market as a whole, which opens new paths for the upgrading of Athens as an international conference destination. The dynamics of this specific space, its strategic location and its historical value constitute a legacy to transform it into an epicenter of high-level international conferences and events.

On the occasion of the concession by the Attica Region of the Faliro Indoor Olympic Stadium (Tae Kwon Do) and the wider coastal zone for regeneration and development, the President of the Athens, Attica and Argosaronic Hotel Association, Mr. Evgenios Vassilikos, stated:

"Today's development constitutes an important step towards the realization of a decades-old vision for Athens. The creation of a modern, multifunctional Metropolitan Conference, Exhibition and Concert Center in the heart of the coastal front, comes to fill a timeless gap and substantially strengthen the international competitiveness of our city in the field of conference tourism.

The Association, with consistency and persistence, has consistently supported the need for such a project over time, which will operate in addition to the investments already being implemented in the region, such as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, The Ellinikon and the new high-standard hotel complexes. We believe that the Attica Region will proceed with speed and efficiency in the required procedures, in order to fully utilize the potential of the area and to provide Athens with the conference center it so desperately needs. At the same time, we believe that this specific investment will contribute decisively to the shift towards higher quality tourism, with significantly increased revenues for the local community and the city's economy.

For our part, we remain at the disposal of all stakeholders to contribute actively and constructively to the implementation of this emblematic project.”

The President of the Association of Greek Professional Event and Conference Organizers (HAPCO & DES), Ms. Antonia Alexandrou, commenting on the concession and the prospect of creating an International Conference Center, stated:

“The concession of the Faliro Indoor Olympic Stadium (Tae Kwon Do) for use by the Attica Region constitutes the keystone for the creation of excellent prospects for strengthening conference activity in Athens and the wider region. This decision constitutes a milestone for our industry and the vindication of a timeless request.

As HAPCO & DES, the official body of professional conference and event organizers in Greece, we welcome this development with particular satisfaction. It is a decisive, optimistic development for the strengthening of the international competitiveness of our country in the field of the conference industry.

We have the vision, the experience, the know-how and the necessary infrastructure to contribute substantially to the dynamic utilization of the space. We are at the disposal of the Region and all the involved bodies, in order to collaborate in the promotion of Tae Kwon Do as a reference point for international conference and cultural events.

As we are already doing with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCC) and the Association of Hoteliers of Athens, Attica & Argosaronic (AHA), we continue today together, hand in hand with all the institutional bodies, with a common vision and strategic goal, to raise the bar even higher for our industry and the country. The next day begins with the foundation of cooperation and our common commitment to place Athens even higher on the global conference map.