Greece's tourism development minister Fanny Palli-Petralia on Tuesday discussed the new forms of tourism developing in Greece, such as conference tourism, sea tourism and spa tourism, with Democratic Senator from Hawaii Daniel Inouye, during the second day of her visit to Washington.

Inouye is co-chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and founder and ex-officio chairman of the subcommittee on Trade, Tourism and Economic Development.

It was noted during the meeting that arrivals of American tourists in Greece had increased impressively in 2006, a fact that creates optimism for both sides.

Petralia also outlined the prospects for new tourism investments in Greece and the post-Olympics exploitation of the infrastructures that had been built for the 2004 Games hosted by Athens, while the Greek side also put forward the prospect of a tourism agreement between the two countries.

Earlier, Petralia had an informal meeting with US president George Bush's wife, Laura, at the White House.

Petralia told reporters after the meeting that Laura Bush was involved in human rights and women's issues, as well as issues concerning the trafficking in women, noting that she, too, has personally dealt with such issues in the past during her term as president of the European Union of Women but also in her present capacity as president of the international Democratic Union of Women.

Petralia and Bush exchanged views and positions on these issues, while the Greek minister also met with Washington Post publisher and CEO Boisfeuillet Jones Jr.

Source: Athens News Agency

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