Destinations

The Thessaloniki Convention & Visitors Bureau has just released a 12-page brochure that lists information on how best to organize a conference in the northern port city.

Dining out at Delphi can be a truly gratifying experience now that the area hosts the new, innovative Epicuros. This restaurant created by Babis and Maria Kourelis of the Hotel Acropole Delphi, not only serves delectable dishes, but also it offers an atmosphere second-to-none in the area. The view from a veranda table is breathtaking.

Greeks travel further afield and more frequently than ever before, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Service. Britain, in an attempt to get a bigger a piece of the action, promotes itself as an ideal destination locally.

Greece proves once again that its beaches and bathing waters are among the best in Europe. Like last year, the country was awarded 327 “European Blue Flags” for its clean, environmentally rich beaches from the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe.

A new “wonder” and millennium monument will be built on Rodos harbour by 2004, according to the island’s mayor, Giorgos Yiannopoulos. The monument will draw inspiration from the “Kolossos” statue, one of the Seven Wonders of the World that was allegedly ruined some 2,220 years ago.

Just a few days before the start of the new millennium, the Village Entertainment Park opened its doors to the Greek public. Promoted as the largest such leisure park, not only in Greece but also in all of Europe, the 40-billion-drachma venture sports 20 cinema screens, 45 stores, restaurants and cafes.

Greece has launched an effort to bring back into operation “Axis 10” – the shortest land link to Europe. As part of this initiative, within the next two months Greek intercity trains will depart from Thessaloniki and pass through Skopje, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Salzburg with Munich as the final destination.

The northern Greek prefecture of Pieria plans to spend a total of 153 million drachmas to participate at all major tourism exhibitions that take place this year.

Construction on a major league tourism and recreation park in the Athens area gets underway next month. The 18-billion-drachma “Star City” venture covers some 278,000 square meters of beachfront property in the Athens suburb of Glyfada.

Thessaloniki beats out Greece’s capital and takes the initiative to establish the country’s first convention and visitors bureau. Its role will be to promote conference tourism to northern Greece.