News from Greece > in brief

Minister wants golfers in Greece

Attracting more golfers to Greece will be one of the country’s chief tourism targets over the coming years, Tourism Minister Fani Palli-Petralia said yesterday. She was visiting the island of Crete, which is hosting Greece’s first international golf tournament. “Crete is an ideal destination for all those people who play golf,” she said. The minister said that the government is preparing a draft law to help develop the game in Greece. “We have to create golf courses over the next few years because there is great interest and investment opportunities,” Palli-Petralia added.

Environment day

President Karolos Papoulias yesterday called on politicians and citizens to make a greater effort to curb widespread pollution ahead of today’s World Environment Day. “Environmental destruction is being provoked in the name of so-called development programs without end,” Papoulias said. “We need a radical change in mentality and behavior, we need to face our responsibilities as environmental disaster is the consequence of our daily habits,” he added.