Greece, which is currently holding the EU presidency, will submit proposals on facilitation of visa requirements for citizens of third countries to the European Union in mid-March, Minister for Tourism Olga Kefalogianni said on Monday, Jan 13, according to ForUm news agency.

"The priority of the Greek EU presidency is to show that tourism should be an integral part of the EU development policy. This refers not only to Greece and the southern countries, but to the whole of Europe," Kefalogianni was quoted as saying.

"Greece will propose to revise the Visa Code to remove bureaucratic barriers for citizens of the third countries, such as Ukrainians, Russians, Turks, and Chinese, who need a visa for entry to Europe. We should facilitate the process," the minister said.

According to her, marine and cruise tourism is especially important for the Greek and European economy, and the Tourism Ministry will organize a conference to discuss the matter on March 10-11.

"We are interested in winter tourism and ski centers to solve infrastructure problems. We will help local efforts to develop such tourism forms as rural, ecological, pilgrim and spa tourism," Kefalogianni said.