“This is MY Athens” Celebrates Second Anniversary

The participants of “This is MY Athens” recently celebrated the volunteer program’s second anniversary with an “open to all” Greek hospitality event for tourists visiting the Greek capital.

The “This is MY Athens – HAPPY HOUR!” was held on 19 July on Adrianou and Ifestou streets in Thisio with the active participation of local shops and in cooperation with the Athens Traders Association.

The program’s volunteers – aka the Athens locals – took to the streets of the historic center and escorted foreign tourists to the shops participating in the Happy Hour. Tourists were welcomed and offered treats and other souvenirs of the city.

Many tourists participated and highlights from the event were posted “live” on social media (Facebook, Twitter) and the “This is MY Athens” website.

After Happy Hour, tours to areas of the center of Athens were held by the locals for tourists.

The “This is MY Athens” campaign was launched in summer 2011 by the Athens Development & Destination Management Agency (EATA) of the City of Athens as a free tourist service aimed to enrich visitors’ experiences in Athens. The campaign includes volunteer Athenians acting as tour guides to the Greek capital’s guests, showing them the different faces of Athens and tourist attractions not found in travel guides.

Some 400 volunteers have enrolled to show “their Athens” to hundreds of visitors from around the world.