GNTO Celebrates 60th Birthday

“The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) is a historical organization that today the country needs more than ever,” Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Yeroulanos said during the organization’s 60-year anniversary event held in late March at the Acropolis Museum.

During the event, the GNTO’s secretary general, Yiorgos Koletsos, highlighted the contribution of the organization and its executives within the 60 years of its operation.

Archive photo of old GNTO poster.

“The GNTO fundamentally shaped the model of Greek tourism as well as the fundamentals of a marketing strategy that promoted Greece as one of the most recognizable and popular tourism destinations worldwide,” Mr. Koletsos said.

The GNTO is currently utilizing limited resources through partnerships with tour operators of major markets and implementing joint programs of promotion.

Moreover, the organization has an agreement with the Travel Channel (satellite and cable TV channel headquartered in the US) to broadcast tributes on Greece to a network of 118 countries and 60 million households.

On their part, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai and World Travel &
Tourism Council (WTTC) President David Scowsill, both highlighted the significant presence and contribution of the GNTO to the global tourism scene.

“The anniversary of the GNTO coincides with the establishment of the International Union of Tourism Organizations and was also one of its founding members,” Mr. Rifai said.