General Events & Happenings

Westfield London, Europe’s largest urban shopping center, on 19-27 March featured a 1.500 square meter Greek Theme Park on its ground floor atrium and depicted all aspects of Greek tourism.

“It would be very useful for thousands of executives of the public and private sector to study the book written by Nikos Skoulas,” Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis said at the recent book presentation of former tourism minister Nikos Skoulas.

The Acropolis Rally will be placed under the auspices of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, according to an announcement made by Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister George Nikitiadis during a press conference organized for the rally at the New Acropolis Museum in late December 2010.

The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels will establish branches in key Greek tourism destinations this year to support the new local government structures introduced by the Kallikratis scheme, the chamber’s president, Yiorgos Tsakiris, announced last month during the annual pita cutting ceremony.

“Qatar Airways has made a worldwide phenomenal expansion and impressive growth in the Greek market as in only five years the airline grew from four flights to 14 flights per week,” Alexandros Michalopoulos, sales manager for Qatar Airways Greece and Cyprus, said at a gala dinner last month for the airline’s five-year anniversary.

As the tourism sector around the world came together to celebrate 2010 as the international year of biodiversity for the 31st World Tourism Day (27 September), the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) called on all of Greece’s forces to work together for a new course in tourism.

“Our destinations are a cure for the stress and intensity of everyday life because of their close distance to Athens and Piraeus,” Piraeus Prefect Yiannis Michas said recently.

The British are invited to visit Greece and become acquainted with the country’s natural beauties, historical monuments, entertainment and modern infrastructure in a secure environment for visitors, Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Nikitiadis said at the opening of the “Greek beach by the Thames” event in London.

Members of global airline alliance SkyTeam last month welcomed travel agents and tourism professionals at the Athens Hilton Galaxy rooftop bar for the alliance’s 10th anniversary party.

“Our goal is to bring in as many guests as we can so we can contribute to Greece’s tourism,” the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Kapralos, told tourism professionals last month.