Destinations

Greece has tourism parameters that Turkey cannot compete with, Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos told the Israeli press last month during an official visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, aimed at attracting Israeli tourists to Greece.

The exclusion of Athens city center hotels from suggested athlete accommodation would be a tombstone for Athens tourism, the Athens-Attica Hoteliers Association stressed last month in a letter to Joanna Despotopoulou, president of the Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011 Organizing Committee.

Greek Prime Minister Yiorgos Papandreou and his visiting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu agreed last month to form a joint committee to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Strikes and protests against government austerity measures, port and archaeological site blockades, air traffic controller’s mobilizations and the recent fuel shortage caused by a trucker strike made Greece the target of critical international news stories amid the tourist season.

An action plan to combat the situation in the center of Athens that includes illegal immi­grants, drug dealing and abuse, prostitution and the sale of counterfeit merchandise, is currently in the works, according to Deputy Citizens Protection Minister Spyros Vougias.

Athens suffered the biggest losses during the first seven months of the year in regards to the number of tourists visiting Greece, the latest figures released by the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) showed.

While Greece was already suffering a decline in visitor numbers, the tourism sector was tested in July with disruptions to flights and an ongoing strike by fuel-truck drivers that led to gasoline shortages across the country.

A private initiative aimed to attract domestic tourism back to Greece that will impose absolutely no cost to the Greek government or taxpayer was launched in late July by the Alliance for Greece group.

Every Greek island has a special characteristic that works as an individual holiday attraction. What really makes a destination special is when that certain characteristic gains worldwide status… Kalymnos is considered one of the best destinations worldwide for rock climbing. It all began in 1996 when an Italian climber noticed the unique quality of the non-vegetated calcareous rocks and the overhangs and caves with stalactites. The rest is history…

A special promotional TV spot will be released for Northern Greece very soon, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Nikitiadis said last month.