Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Strategic Product Design at the International Hellenic University. One of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world is the hotel, restaurant and tourism (HRT) sector. It is very labor-intensive and it is an important vector for development and employment, especially for those who have difficulty accessing the labor market, i.e. women, young people, migrant workers and rural populations. Tourism has become an engine not only of economic progress, but also of social development. Deeply rooted in the national economic fabric, the tourism sector provides economic gains and creates jobs in the associated service sectors as well as in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, thereby promoting diversification and strengthening the economy of the countries. A second driver that promotes economic and social development for a country is the exports sector. Exports contribute to the creation of jobs and attract investments in a country. Although the two sectors have not been examined in relation, they show signs of interrelation based on the horizontal character of the tourism sector. The scope of this assignment is to examine the relation between tourism and exports in Greece and if there is a positive relation between the two sectors. The assignment draws evidence from literature on the topics and by qualitative and quantitative data gather from national statistics and interviews with stakeholders of the tourism sector in the region of Thessaloniki. As it is shown in the findings of this research, in Greece the relation between the two sectors has always been positive especially for rural areas, where tourism acts as a key driver for the economic and social development. It is further demonstrated that in Greece, tourism has established cross-sectoral links and reduced resource leakage although significant challenges remain in order to enhance this relation such as the possibilities offered by technological advances (such as internet platforms) and shadow economy.