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On 7 April the first flight on which Greek citizens were able travel to the United States without a visa left Athens following Greece’s accession to the U.S. Visa Waiver program in March. Greece was formally added to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program on 5 April.

Greece, as a Schengen country, cannot unilaterally abolish visa procedures as this requires a joint decision from all of the Schengen countries, Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas said in a recent interview to Turkish daily newspaper Sabah.

Greece’s economic problems will not have an impact on German visits to the country this year, said Klaus Laepple, president of German Travel Association Deutschen ReiseVerbands (DRV), during the opening press conference of the 44th ITB Berlin travel trade show held last month.

Cabotage restrictions must be lifted immediately so foreign-flag cruise ships could use Greek harbors as homeports by 2011, President of the Greek Shipowners’ Association for Passenger Ships Markos Foros stressed during a press conference last month.

As a destination Athens is deteriorating and losing any grounds it had intended to gain and this ultimately cannot be considered a result of the global economic crisis, according to Athens-Attica Hoteliers Association President Yiannis Retsos.

Greece is the fourth most popular tourism destination in the European Union for 2010, according to the Eurobarometer survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism that was released last month. Most popular destination is Spain, followed by Italy and France.

Irish low cost carrier Ryanair recently announced the launch of “guaranteed lowest fares” on six new routes to the Greek destinations of Kos, Rodos and Volos.

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

The Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company (ATEDCo) recently released a new promotional film that takes viewers one step further from the typical tourist clichés and showcases Athens as the ideal destination with plenty of options.

The City of Athens and non-governmental network The World of Athens recently launched an international online competition, whose theme is Athens’ benches. The competition’s aim is to improve the quality of life in the Greek capital.