Western Greece: New Online Platform Promotes Ancient Olympia and Ilia

The visit-olympia.gr app interface. Photo source: visit-olympia.gr.

“Visit Olympia”, a new and innovative online travel guide was recently introduced by the Regional Unit of Ilia in the Peloponnese, Western Greece, during two special events in Pyrgos and Ancient Olympia.

The online platform (visit-olympia.gr), which is also available as an app for mobile phones and tablets, was created to promote the cultural offering of the wider region of the Peloponnese based on Destination Management System technologies.

“Visitors to the website can get experientially acquainted with the area, which is an invaluable method for attracting tourists and promoting the region,” said Deputy Governor of the Ilia Regional Unit Vassilis Giannopoulos.

By using the platform and its services, a visitor can:

The archaeological site of Ancient Olympia.. Photo source: visit-olympia.gr.

-browse the history and monuments of the area through a virtual tour accompanied by photos, texts, videos, audio documents, maps, etc;

-browse by topic (monuments, tradition, folklore, events, etc.);

-follow the proposed tourism itineraries, through interactive maps with detailed presentation of each point of the route, the ways one can travel from one point to another, but also overall information about the route such as duration, description, etc;

-digitally access the cultural wealth but also the contemporary image of the region, through advanced multimedia presentation applications like high resolution photos, 360° virtual tours and 3D representations;

– get information about events taking place at the Ilia Regional Unit through the platform’s e-calendar service, in the context of which all the important dates related to the system (holidays, important events, celebrations and sports events in the Region) are shared; and

-personally contribute to the enrichment of the platform by uploading his/her own content.

Deputy Governor of the Ilia Regional Unit Vassilis Giannopoulos. Photo source: Western Greece Region.

“The platform may have been created around the famous archaeological site of Olympia but follows the axis of Katakolo-Pyrgos-Ancient Olympia to showcase the alternative tourism experience the wider area can offer to its visitors,” said Ancient Olympia Mayor George Georgopoulos.

On that note, Pyrgos Mayor Takis Antonakopoulos added that visitors to the area through cruise port calls at Katakolo can use the platform to get to know more points of interests in Ilia such as Pontikokastro or events like the Olympia Film Festival.

The website (www.visit-olympia.gr) and the application (Visit Olympia app) were created in the context of the project “Creation of an integrated information system for the promotion of cultural and tourism resources/monuments and routes in the wider area of the Katakolo – Ancient Olympia Axis” which was financed by the Region of Western Greece and the 2014-2020 NSRF EU program for development.