Start-up ‘Alternative Athens’ Awarded for Sustainable Tourism Practices

Booking.com Booster Lab for Sustainable Tourism family photo.

Alternative Athens, a start-up specializing in thematic tourism, is among the six winners of the Booking.com Booster Lab for Sustainable Tourism, which was recently held in Barcelona.

Tina Kyriakis and Jelisaveta Tucovic, Alternative Athens.

The company won a grant of 10,000 euros to continue developing its services and activities. It currently operates thematic tours and activities off the beaten track in Athens and beyond. Its services focus on the non-touristic aspects of the country, connecting travelers with locals and helping them discover Greece’s secrets.

“It’s been a great joy and an honor to be able to represent Greece in this contest,” Alternative Athens founder Tina Kyriakis said in an announcement. “It was an opportunity to show Greece as a country which remains intact from mass tourism, having great opportunities for sustainable tourism development, in favor of the local communities and the modern traveler,” she added.

The first Booster Lab included 265 participant start-ups from Europe and aimed at promoting the most innovative companies, with positive impact on tourism.

The entrepreneurs during the weekend participated in workshops and educational seminars and spoke with mentors and experts from Booking.com. The Booster Lab was concluded with the selection of the six best startups, namely Alternative Athens, Nexto, Cloud Guide, The Outdoor Journal & Voyage, TripUniq and Xmigrations, which won grants of 10,000-25,000 euros and will continue their development with the support of Booking.com for the next six months.

Alternative Athens will continue expanding its activities by launching new tours in Olympia, Meteora, Delphi, Mycenae, and Aegina, focusing on local activities that promote each areas’ characteristics. “The aim is to promote new, nearby destinations (to Athens), which present a great interest for the traveler,” the company said.