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The first pan-European forum for agro-tourism was held recently in Epirus. Organized by Agrotouristiki S.A., the state organization for alternative tourism development, the forum will be held annually to promote agro-tourism in Greece, and to increase cooperation between Greek and European agro-tourism businesses.

The continual changing of advertising companies selected to promote Greece every year has resulted in a lack of continuity in the image Greece projects and no distinct brand identity, said Cleopatra Veloutsou, a Glasgow University lecturer, at last month’s Second International Conference on Tourism held in Athens.

Cruises are a serious vacation alternative for younger people, said Andreas Stylianopoulos, general manager of Navigator Travel, at a recent press conference aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas.

Last month, Blue Star Ferries, part of Attica Group, acquired all of Dane Sea Line’s assets at a bankruptcy auction held on Rodos island. Dane, placed in bankruptcy at the request of Anek Lines, had assets that included three ferries, Diagoras, Patmos and Rodos, and real estate in Rodos town.

In celebration of its new 110,000-ton ship, Carnival Freedom, next summer Carnival Cruise Lines will offer new itineraries that feature the Greek islands and other Mediterranean destinations.

The Organization for Tourism and Financial Development for Athens (OTOAA) submitted a bid to organize the annual City Break Expo and the European Cities Tourism (ECT) conference in Athens in June 2007.

As a result of the renewed interest in religious tourism, and in particular history of Apostle Paul in Greece, the neglected archaeological site of Corinth will receive the official attention it deserves as part of a religious tourism program developed by the 21st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

Every weekend last month, tourists, travelers and locals had the opportunity to experience a unique side of the Argolida area as this year’s month-long 8th annual Epidavros Agro-tourism Festival showcased the traditions and products of Argolida Prefecture.

Creating a network of culture and tourism in the Mediterranean region is a focus of the EU’s Daedalus project presented last month by Agrotouristiki SA to tourism ministry staff and travel agency and hotel representatives. The three-year project, with a 2.5 million euro budget, will result in Internet portal that will link Mediterranean countries and provide information on cultural sites and the different products and services available. It is envisioned as a way of encouraging the development of mutually beneficial programs and activities among countries that will support tourism in the Mediterranean.

The music of Mikis Theodorakis and Greek traditional folkdances were performed at the third Beijing International Tourism Exhibit (BITE) last month, during which Greece was the honored country.