Athens Municipality and GNTO Team Up to Promote Greek Capital as Leading Destination

Athens, Greece. Photo source: Travel Trade Athens

The Municipality of Athens and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) announced on Friday that they would be joining forces towards the promotion of the Greek capital as a leading international tourism destination.

In this direction, the GNTO and the Athens Development & Destinations Management Agency (EATA) signed a three-year Memorandum of Cooperation outlining a framework of actions for the promotion of the Greek capital.

The aim of the plan is to establish Athens in three key areas:

– as an ideal all-year-round city-break destination

– as a model convention, conference and events destination

– as the ideal location for digital nomads.

Other actions include showcasing Athens’ special interest tourism offerings.

GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis and EATA CEO Vagelis Vlachos sign the memorandum of cooperation.

To achieve the above, the GNTO and EATA have committed to designing a unified destination brand, utilizing sharing tools and media, and participating in international tourism trade shows. GNTO has provided material to be used in marketing actions, including a promotional video created in collaboration with the Travel Channel.

GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis referred to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on tourism to Athens, which he said was “disproportionate” compared to other Greek destinations.

“This joint effort aims to restart tourism in the Greek capital,” he said, adding that other initiatives will follow in the near future.

“In these critical times, joining forces is more valuable than ever,” said ΕΑΤΑ CEO Vagelis Vlachos.

“Our cooperation with GNTO comes to strengthen our work giving us the opportunity to utilize the communication and financial ‘tools’ at our disposal in order to promote Athens to targeted international markets. Through this partnership, we create the conditions for Athens to be promoted as a sustainable, safe and competitive destination for conferences, leisure tourism, but also as a long-term accommodation option,” Vlachos said.