Patra Next Focus of Greece’s ‘greekend’ City Break Campaign

Patra © Alexander Tolstykh / Shutterstock

Patra will be at the center of the Greek Tourism Ministry’s upcoming “Greekend” campaign which promotes city breaks across Greece, announced Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias during the 10^th Regional Growth Conference held this week in the Peloponnese port city.

Patra comes after Athens and Thessaloniki which are being promoted as ideal destinations in Greece for weekend getaways. The “Greekend” drive  is part the Greek National Tourism Organization’s(GNTO) campaign “All you want is Greece”.

Addressing the conference, Kikilias said the campaign which promotes the Athens and Thessaloniki city experience has already borne fruit with an increase in direct flights from new destinations abroad, more tourist arrivals, longer holiday duration, and higher spending.

The “greekend” campaign initially kicked off with Athens and Thessaloniki being “re-introduced” to the world as two major cities ideal for lively city break holidays.

“We are aiming to showcase gastronomy, wine tourism, entertainment, culture, the coastline that stretches from Patra to Ilia, large and smaller family-owned hotel and commercial businesses,” said Kikilias.

“This concept will spearhead our tourism strategy next year so that after Athens and Thessaloniki, Patra will become a key attraction for visitors seeking to get away during the weekend,” he said.

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

Kikilias went on to add that infrastructure projects currently underway in the wider Western Greece region, including the modernized road network to Ancient Olympia, the upgraded Patra-Pyrgos roadway, and the port will provide Patra with a “strategic advantage” for its development.

“For the first time this year, GNTO campaigns have been running for 12 months and the results are visible. We have strengthened winter tourism, which was almost unknown in our country,” said Kikilias, referring to the Kalavryta Ski Center near Patra, which this year reached full capacity, he said.