Ioannina in Greece Fully Booked for the Holidays

The Epirus town of Ioannina in northern Greece has established itself as one of Greece’s top winter destinations with hotels and accommodation facilities fully booked for the holiday season, municipal authorities said this week.

Besides the traditions, picturesque villages and facilities, major attraction yet again is the Ioannina Municipality’s very own Christmas village – Asteroupoli.

According to Asteroupoli organizers, more than 170,000 people have visited the Christmas park so far and by January 8, they expect a total of 600,000 in its 47 days of operation.

A joint collaboration of TIF-Helexpo, Dream Workers and the Ioannina Municipality, Asteroupoli features events, happenings and activities including Santa’s Home, the chocolate factory, sweet town, open-air ice rink, fairground rides and a wide variety of interactive games, book bazaars, theater shows and workshops, which promise to keep youngsters busy and happy.

During a press conference on the event, Stefanos Zervas, tourism consultant for the Ioannina Municipality, presented a Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) survey which found that travelers have given Ioannina thumbs up for overall satisfaction. In the meantime, municipal tourism advisors aiming to promote the city have reached out to new markets including Turkey, Israel and Scandinavian countries.