Athens’ Visitor Greeter Program Launched

The Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company (ATEDCo) in late July launched “This is MY Athens,” a new free tourist service that welcomes visitors to the Greek capital and promotes cultural exchange between locals and travelers.

The program aims to enrich the visitors’ experiences in Athens and is staffed by volunteer Athenians who are interested in showing guests the different faces of Athens and tourist attractions that are not found in travel guides.

The purpose of the new service is to bring together Athens’ visitors with Athens’ locals – travelers that want to explore the city with those who know it better than anyone, its inhabitants.

By mid-August some 200 volunteers had already registered for the “This is MY Athens” service.

ATEDCo has noted that Athens’ locals are volunteers and not professional, officially licensed tour guides that specialize in the history, architecture or cultural heritage of Athens.