Initiatives

A private initiative aimed to attract domestic tourism back to Greece that will impose absolutely no cost to the Greek government or taxpayer was launched in late July by the Alliance for Greece group.

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.

The mission of the American-Hellenic Enterprise Initiative (AHEI), Vision 2020, is to develop and implement Greece-U.S. actions that further bi-national trade, investment, green energy solutions and tourism in connection with culture and entrepreneurship through the combined efforts of AHEI Partners, American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce President Yanos Gramatidis said recently.

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

From February to December 2010 some 39 restaurants in the United Kingdom will be “dressed” in blue and white to challenge their customers to savour dishes of Greek cuisine, Greek wines and cocktails.

Bournemouth University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Curran recently announced the establishment of “The John Kent Institute in Tourism,” which will be funded through a substantial donation made to the University by tourism entrepreneur, John Kent.

The new distribution platform “Content Inn by Amadeus” has come to Greece to fill the gap in customer demand for quick and easy access to hotel suppliers and other travel services, said Juan Antonio Carrasco, director of markets in Central, Eastern and Southern European (CESE), at a recent presentation in Athens.

Greek Deputy Interior Minister Christos Markoyiannakis recently met with British Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant to crack down on drunken British tourists that tend to cause trouble on Greek island resorts.

The “Visit Thessaloniki” program, an initiative of the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki, was launched last month for the second year and is designed as an extra incentive for travel agents and tour operators to choose Thessaloniki for tours.

Agri-net, the first attempt to establish a network of agritourism businesses for Thrace, is in the process of implementation.