Destinations

Greece is the fourth most popular tourism destination in the European Union for 2010, according to the Eurobarometer survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism that was released last month. Most popular destination is Spain, followed by Italy and France.

Irish low cost carrier Ryanair recently announced the launch of “guaranteed lowest fares” on six new routes to the Greek destinations of Kos, Rodos and Volos.

The operation of the Navarino Environmental Observatory (NEO) was officially announced recently during a ceremony at the Academy of Athens.

The Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company (ATEDCo) recently released a new promotional film that takes viewers one step further from the typical tourist clichés and showcases Athens as the ideal destination with plenty of options.

The City of Athens and non-governmental network The World of Athens recently launched an international online competition, whose theme is Athens’ benches. The competition’s aim is to improve the quality of life in the Greek capital.

If we want to upgrade Athens, we need to set down some rules and faithfully follow them, Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos recently said in an interview to the Greek press when asked about the problems at the one end of the historic center of Athens—the Omonia Square area.

“The Athens Convention Bureau’s aim is to highlight Greece’s image in the convention market and soon see the country among the top ten conference markets worldwide,” said the bureau’s director George Angelis during a workshop held last month during the 6th IMIC in Athens.

The first meeting of the mayors of Athens, marks the beginning of one of the most appealing efforts of the organization World of Athens, said the organization’s President Tatiana Karapanagioti at a special event held within the context of the 1st Athens Mayors Meeting at Athens City Hall recently.

The development of alternative forms of tourism in the area of Mount Voios in Kozani was discussed in Kozani last December at the presentation of the proposed project “Development of alternative forms of tourism through the creation of a network of hiking paths in the Kozani Prefecture.”

Greek and foreign visitors to Athens from now on will get “pointed in the right direction” thanks to the new Athens Infopoint that has opened on the ground floor of the entertainment store Public at Syntagma Square.