Issue 13
01/12/2011
GREEK TRAVEL BUSINESS NEWS

Greece: Honoured Country at Brussels Winter Wonders 2011

The City of Brussels’ Winter Wonders / Plaisirs d ‘hiver 2011 has invited Greece as the guest of honour this year, taking place in Brussels from the November 25, 2011 to January 1, 2012. This year’s event will host 300 exhibitors for 37 days, and will receive approximately 2.5 million visitors.

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Office in Belgium has accepted Brussels’ invitation to participate in the country’s mammoth annual event. The market will host 8 Greek pavilions (chalets) showcasing Greek products, gastronomy, art, and more.

At their joint press conference (in Greek, 14.11.2011), GNTO Secretary-General George Koletsos and Mayor of Brussels Freddy Thielemans (see photo) emphasized that the choice of Greece as the honoured country at this year’s event was based on the decision of the Municipality of Brussels to assist Greece in conveying a positive image to the Belgian public at such a challenging economic juncture.

At the inaugural event (25.11.2011), GNTO President Konstantinos Zikos and Mayor Thielemans together symbolically pressed the button triggering the ceremony’s impressive light show. The event is being organized for the 10th successive year, and visitors will have the unique opportunity to stroll around Brussels in a festive atmosphere. The Belgian tourism market is of particular significance, as approximately 720,000 visitors came to Greece in 2011.

Santorini: BBC's Best Island in the World

Santorini has been selected by the BBC as the World’s Best Island.  The Cycladic island, located in the southern Aegean, is followed by Bali in Indonesia, Cape Breton in Canada, Boracay in Philippines, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. “An ancient island that endured one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, Santorini feels like no other place on earth. Here, 120 miles southwest of mainland Greece, everything is brighter: the whitewashed cube-shaped houses, the lapis lazuli sea and the sunsets that light up the caldera,” says the BBC of this year’s winner.

Travel Revenues Up

Travel revenues rose by 9.5% for the first 9 months of 2011, compared with the corresponding period of 2010, while arrivals rose by 10.4%. According to a press release of the Bank of Greece (24.11.2011), it appears that this trend during the period January-September 2011 is primarily based in increased revenues from residents of countries outside the EU 27 by 16.5%. Revenue from residents of the EU-27 in the period January - September 2011, amounted to an increase of 6.5% compared with the corresponding period of 2010. Specifically, revenue from Germany increased by 12.4% and outside the EU-27, a significant increase in revenues came from Russia by 48.8%.

Bank of Greece: Press Release (24.11.2011, in Greek)

Alliance for Greece

Greece will be promoted in 4,000 U.S. restaurants: twenty Greek artists will each be offering two of their works of art, which will be printed on placemats and distributed to restaurants in the United States. The initiative will be launched in December 2011, in restaurants located in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, North and South Carolina, and Maryland. The “Alliance for Greece” is a campaign that started with institutions in the wider sector of communications and marketing, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization, aiming to promote the image of Greece both inside the country and abroad.

The aim of the initiative is the “maximum promotion of the country abroad, with the least possible cost”, stressed the Minister of Culture and Tourism, George Nikitiades, presenting the initiative of the “Alliance for Greece.”  The Greek Diaspora - through Greek restaurants, members of Pan Gregorian Enterprises and their 7-million customer base - is the main target of a new initiative to promote Greek tourism in the United States.
(Photo: painting by Chryssa Verghi, titled “Saroniko, Thalassa”)

AIMS Headquarters Open in Athens

The Minister of Culture and Tourism Pavlos Yeroulanos and the President of the Association of International Marathons and Distant Races (AIMS), Paco Borao, inaugurated the association’s new headquarters in Athens, on November 10.

The AIMS seat is located within the Olympic Athletic Centre of Athens “Spiros Louis” at an address bearing the name of the first Olympic Marathon winner, as it is located on Spyridon Louis Avenue. Now, the association that represents every marathon race and runner in the world is based at the birthplace of the race, and this is highly symbolic. “My presence here has to do with the fact that I always believed that the connection of the Athens Classic Marathon with AIMS is of strategic importance for Greece and that this alliance can greatly help highlight the values of the Marathon to the whole world…” said Yeroulanos in a brief speech.

See also Greek News Agenda: Athens Marathon Capital of the World

Thessaloniki: European Youth Capital 2014

The City of Thessaloniki has been crowned European Youth Capital (EYC) for 2014. The ceremony took place during the Council of European Youth Forum members on November 18, where Thessaloniki emerged as the winner, competing against Ivanovo (Russia) and Heraklion (Greece). The title is granted to a European city for a period of one year, during which it is given the chance to showcase its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. This initiative encourages the implementation of new ideas and innovative projects, with regard to active participation of young people in society, and seeks to present a role model for the further development of youth policies in other European municipalities.
The ceremony was hosted by the next European Youth Capital 2012 Braga, Portugal, in the presence of local youth organizations.

According to the committee, Thessaloniki was viewed as a vibrant city. Committee members also noted that Thessaloniki emphasized the importance of establishing sustainable programmes for a variety of activities aimed at the challenges facing young people on the basis of existing structures. 'Thessaloniki submitted the strongest application, which was created by and with young people, which is evident in their plan filled with creative ideas,” said Peter Matjasic, President of the European Youth Forum.

Youtube.com: You in Thessaloniki (video)

Santorini and Ios on Italian TV

The Greek National Tourism Organization Office in Milan has an ongoing collaboration in Italy to promote Greek destinations through Italian television (RAI 3’s Alle Falde del Kilimangiaro, Yacht & Sail TV, Sailing woman, etc.). In this context, the show Pianeta Mare, on TV station RETE 4 (Mediaset Group) visited Santorini and Ios from October 7 to 11. The result will be two 20 minutes-films, each devoted to these Cycladic islands.

The 'Pianeta Mare' is a popular environmental, entertainment production. The unique volcanic landscape of Santorini, the traditional architecture and the golden beaches of Ios, but especially the wild charm of the undersea diversity of the Cyclades group of islands presented by the Tessa Gelisio. The show leads the viewer through dreamy trips to the discovery, adventure, traditions, culture, local cuisine, but rather to the creative way people are inextricably bound up with all these.


"Athens Spotlighted" City Card

The Athens International Airport announced (11.11) the “Athens Spotlighted” programme, its initiative launched on November 14th, aimed at boosting the attractiveness of the capital city as a city-break destination for foreign visitors. The “athenspotlighted” city card will be available at the airport. The city card will be offers discounted prices, special rates for a period of 10 days, offering rebates at participating museums, galleries, restaurants, shops, bus touring and cruise companies, rental car companies, etc. Sixty-four businesses and organizations have already joined the initiative, and over one hundred are expected to participate by the end of the year.


IN BRIEF

  • Secretary-General George Koletsos of the Greek National Tourism Organization was interviewed by Russian journalist Galina Zhukova from Ria Novosti in Athens (14.11.2011). The interview focuses on winter tourism, as well as the potential for pilgrimage and health tourism, among others. 
  • The article “Poor Translation” by Wu Ziru published in the Chinese online newspaper Global Times (24.11.2011) describes the art work of Jannis Kounellis – dubbed “the famous Arte Povera master” - in his solo exhibition titled “Translating China” currently on display at the Today Art Museum in Beijing. The exhibition runs through December 13.