Issue 16
15/01/2012
GREEK TRAVEL BUSINESS NEWS

New Port Development Project

Development, Competitiveness & Shipping Minister Michalis Chryssochoidis unveiled an ambitious investment plan on December 28, 2011 aimed at boosting the cruising sector at the port of Piraeus and creating new jobs.

The plan, budgeted at €450 million, foresees a project to expand the southern part of the port and the construction of a monorail within the port, linking cruise as well as ferry terminals. Both projects are expected to begin in 2012 after launching separate tenders in the first half of the year. "We will disengage funds from 'dead' projects and earmark them for new projects, which will begin shortly," Chryssochoidis said. The minister said the Piraeus Port Authority reported revenues of €360 million from sea cruises and noted that the ministry's aim is to double this figure in the coming years. The project to expand the passenger port will cost €230 million and will offer six new docking spots for cruise vessels; the monorail system project will cost approximately €120 million, and it will expand on double line track with a length of around five kilometres.

On January 3, Greece welcomed the first cruise ship to dock at Piraeus Port for 2012 at a special ceremony hosted by the Development, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry.

The 3,200-passenger capacity vessel "MSC Magnifica" became the first of at least 800 cruise ships expected to dock at the port of Piraeus in 2012.

"This is an important and symbolic move we are making, as last year the cruise industry in this country posted a 35% growth with some 2.5 million passengers visiting Greece," said Chryssohoidis. He also pledged to help make the country more attractive to cruise passengers.

The cabinet approved a draft bill on January 12 presented by the Development, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry that lowers the investment threshold for inclusion in the fast track process as well as fully lifting cabotage restrictions in Greek waters.

See also the Greek News Agenda: Opening the Way for Investments

Greece among Top Holiday Destinations for Austrians

The Vienna International Tourism Trade Fair for Holidays, Travel and Leisure – the leading tourism industry event in Austria Ferien-Messe Wien 2012 - took place from January 12 to 15, where Greece was represented by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and various regional organizations. At a press conference held during the event, the director of the GNTO Austria office, Panagiotis Skordas, stressed the fact that during the past year, over 17 million foreign tourists visited Greece, and that the number has increased by 10% in comparison to 2010, while the number of Austrian visitors surpassed 500,000. Speaking to Austrian and foreign media representatives, the Prefect of Ionian Islands spoke about the historical and cultural ties between Greece and Austria, and emphasized that Greece and the Ionian Islands are still top Austrian choices. The Greek pavilion offered a taste of Greek cuisine and wine. It is estimated that 150,000 people visited the exhibition from Austria and neighbouring countries.

According to the Austrian Newspaper 'Osterreich' in an article titled "These are our most popular destinations" (Das sind unsere beliebtesten Reiseziele, 5.1.2012), Austrians continue to choose Greece as one of their top holiday destinations. Greece ranks 2nd, after Spain: in 2011, there was total increase of 10% of Austrian visitors compared to the previous year. Greece is considered a safe and politically stable holiday destination that meets the needs of families for holidays. Austria, considering its population of eight million, is in first place with regard to foreign tourist arrivals to Greece, while the Austrians are considered its most "loyal" visitors, bearing country size in mind, since their numbers have been increasing continuously in past years.

Data by the Austrian statistical agency and tour operators record higher increases in commercial flight arrivals as compared to chartered flights, indicating that Austrian tourists are exploring new destinations in the islands and mainland Greece.

See Visitgreece.gr : You in Greece (video, in German)

Small Greek Pearls Are This Summer's Biggest Trend

Swedish newspaper Expressen has published an article titled "This Summer's Hottest Charter News" (Sommarens hetaste charternyheter, 10.01.2012), about the Sporades, Dodecanese, Cyclades island groups, Crete, and the Peloponnese, which are now expecting tourists via direct charter flights to Sweden for the first time since 2007. Several of the Swedish charter companies will present new or revived destinations in Greece for their summer schedule. "Many of them are really small, genuine pearls."

In another article in Swedish newspaper Expressen titlted "Raise your own sail in the Greek islands" (Hissa egna segel i Greklands ovarld, 10.1.2012 ), Marko Rams talks about "playing Homer for a day," a sailing holiday in the Cyclades islands, and in his words "five friends, a comfortable sailboat and a sparkling Mediterranean are the ingredients for a successful holiday if I may advise…"

Featuring the New Colour, "Santorini"

A multitude of commercial products around the world have adopted the model name Santorini from clothing and accessories to gifts, beauty products and cosmetics. Now, the automotive industry joins this list: Land Rover is using the volcanic ash colour "Santorini Black," and now BMW has decided to "paint" its new model M3 in the colour "Santorini Blue" which refers to the colour of the sea, which is echoed in the island's unique architecture, on window shutters, walls and staircases. The colours that characterize the island of Santorini are volcanic black and red, white rooftops and blue architecture, and the blue of the sea.

IN BRIEF

  • The online International Business Times– an online global business newspaper – has published "20 Destinations for 2012 – The Best Spots You've Never Heard Of" (13.1.2012) in its Traveler, which includes Costa Navarino, Peloponnese peninsula, in its Top Destinations for Nature category.

  • In its latest issue, Finnish travel magazine Mondo has published a twelve-page tribute to four lesser known islands of the Cyclades group, titled "The forgotten islands" (Unohdetut saaret, 1/12). Featured are the Koufonisia, Schinoussa, Heraclea, and Donousa. This issue appears two weeks prior to the travel exhibition Matka 2012 takes place in Helsinki (19 - 22.1.2012).

  • Travel + Leisure Magazine has published its "World's Best Hotels 2012" and three of Greece's hotels are included in the European list: the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, the King George Palace in Athens, and the Katikies Hotel on Santorini island.

  • American online travel magazine Price of Travel has compiled its "European Backpacker Index for 2012." Rating cities "from cheapest to most expensive," Athens is at number 14, more expensive than Moscow (10) and Berlin (13), though more affordable than Madrid (17) and Dublin (20).

  • The archaeological exhibition titled "In the Kingdom of Alexander the Great-Ancient Macedonia," hosted at the Louvre (13.10.2011 – 16.1.2012) has enjoyed great success. The Greek National Tourism Organization in Paris has been receiving hundreds of emails and phone calls asking for more information about tourist attractions and archaeological sites in Northern Greece as many French have expressed their wish to travel to the homeland of the famous military strategist after having visited the exhibition.