Event News

The biggest and what appears to be the best Paralympic Games in history began in style last month as fireworks and illuminations lit up the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony.

The German commandant of forces on Leros in 1943 was among the veterans and dignitaries from Greece and abroad, including Britain, Germany, and Italy, that took part in the first international symposium on the Battle of Leros to be held on the island on the 61th anniversary of the conflict.

Ioannis Tzoannos, general secretary for the ministry of merchant marine, told guests during an Athens Business Club 2004 seminar on nautical tourism that he would like to see a close cooperation with the new tourism ministry. In particular he said he would like the simplification and quick implementation of rules for investment and he would like to see a registry for yachts set up. “A registry with simple rules and tax benefits.”

Stamatis Mavros, President of the Hellenic Culture Organization, during the presentation of the Cultural Olympiad last month at Zappeion Hall, said that the main idea that led us to the Cultural Olympiad was based on the necessity for a series of remarkable cultural events during the 4-year period preceding the Olympic Games.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis showed his personal interest in the tourism sector last month when he opened this year’s general assembly of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises. During his speech, he labeled tourism as a sector of national importance for the country’s economic strength, and a sector that provides benefits to all.

The majority of Greek Internet sites are in the early stages of development concerning electronic tourism, said Dr. Dimitrios Buhalis of the University of Surrey during a seminar held last month in Athens. The seminar analyzed a recent study done by the speaker where 348 Greek tourism web sites were evaluated.

All of Greece’s top government leaders met last month with the International Exhibition Office’s inspection committee to discuss guarantees for the holding of Expo 2008 in Thessaloniki. The committee then visited Thessaloniki to request clear guarantees of the city’s capability to organize Expo in 2008.

During the recent annual general assembly of the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourism Agents, almost a dozen special guests took to the podium.Most of the speakers were representatives of the country’s political parties who, without exception, spoke on the importance of tourism to Greece’s general economy.

Some 280 hotel managers from throughout Europe arrived in Athens recently to take part in the European Hotel Manager Association’s 31st general assembly. During the assembly participants heard in-depth reports on Europe’s hotel industry and its difficulties.

As a part of European Quality Week, the Greek Marketing Institute held a tourism seminar recently on “Quality in the Workplace: Make it Happen!” Although few tourism professionals arrived, a good number of tourism marketing students were on hand and had the opportunity to hear wise words from some of Greece’s top tourism professionals.