General Events & Happenings

A draft law tabled in parliament last month transferred the supervision of the Hellenic Festival (Athens Festival, Epidaurus Festival of Ancient Drama and Music, July at the Little Theater of Epidaurus) from the tourism development to the culture ministry. The move is expected to solve a number of long-standing bureaucratic problems faced by country’s largest cultural event.

Yet another tourism minister has announced that marine tourism and yachting are very important pieces of the Greek tourism product. During the recent New Year’s reception of the Association of Greek Yacht Owners, Tourism Minister Fanni Palli-Petralia added that this was a particularly profitable and promising sector for tourism.

Last month, the tourism ministry’s contracted strategic advisor, a group of three companies: PRC Group, MRB Hellas and THR Asesores en Turismo, Hoteliera y Recreacion S.A., presented marketing plans in the first of three working meetings.

Greece will be featured on the popular Travel Cafe show of the American television network NBC that is hosted by Chuck Henry, the well-known television news co-anchor.

Last month, the official opening ceremony for the Greek chapter of the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) was held. Brenda Anderson, CEO of SITE International, and Carolyn Dow, executive director of SITE Europe and past SITE President, attended the opening and signed the document for the chapter’s founding with Tassos Pappas, president of the Greek chapter.

To celebrate more than one year of successful operation in Greece, Qatar Airways hosted its First Travel Agent Awards (2005-2006) ceremony, which was followed by a dinner and show. More than 300 guests from the travel industry, as well as special guests from show business attended.

The Olympic Flame for the European Special Olympics begin held in Italy until the 6th of the month, sailed from Patras aboard Blue Star’s ferryboat Blue Horizon.

Anousheh Ansari, a wealthy Iranian-American telecommunications engineer, took off on a Russian rocket traveling to the international space station last month.

The Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies is organizing a five-day FAM trip at the end of the month to promote cruising in Greece and to commemorate World Tourism Day.

Trinity International Hospitality Studies, situated in Heraklion, Crete and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) of Kamloops, Canada, signed a cooperation agreement.