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Eurail is adding a new Eurail Pass Category and new country combinations to the Eurail Regional Pass for 2006. For the first time in its history, Eurail offers single-country rail passes, starting Jan. 1.

Avgi village in Kastoria has created a new way to entice tourists. The powers to be have taken the area’s Neolithic past to heart and have created a tourism product where visitors get a taste of life in the Stone Age.

Paricipants from across Europe joined with individuals and organizations in Greece last month to learn more about the current European Union project that centers on creating a One-stop-shop for Accessible Tourism in Europe. Athens hosted this second workshop of the OSSATE project team.

Blue Star Maritime S.A. last month announced that first half results for 2005 show a marked improvement over the same period last year. The Greek ferry line said that earnings before interest, tax, and depreciation increased by 19% and stand at €11.1 million, while net profit after tax stands at €1.1 million euros, against losses of €1.7 million posted for the same period in 2004.

The number of foreign recreational boats arriving in Greek ports and marinas has more than doubled this summer. Data collected by the sector’s professional bodies and submitted to the Ministry of Tourism Development, show that from May up until the end of August there were 1,101 arrivals recorded from abroad. This compares with a meager 433 arrivals recorded during the same period last year.

The City of Athens Tourism and Economic Development Agency is distributing a new city map at City of Athens tourist info centers throughout the Greek capital. The map includes useful information for visitors including how to get around the city, transportation (metro, tramcar, trolley, bus and suburban rail) schedules, useful phone numbers and opening hours/ticket prices for museums and sites.

Golf investment in Greece is showing signs of exceptional vigor and numerous projects are proceeding from the drawing board to the fairway.The success of two new courses, one at Porto Carras in Chalkidiki and a second course on Crete, seems to have spurred the strong interest of tourists to golf and showed the clear potential for more golf courses throughout Greece.

Piraeus-based XRTC Business Consultants says it expects more mergers and cooperation agreements within the Greek coastal shipping arena.

Government last month said it would provide ferry operators with incentives to renew their aging fleets, and that it would liberalize ticket prices for ships sailing out of the Port of Piraeus, all in an effort to improve the country’s ferry services.

In a country with intersecting mountain ranges, thousands of natural climbing sites, a huge range of rocks (each demanding a different style of climbing) and an ideal climate, rock-climbing in Greece is slowly becoming a popular sport for both visitors and Greeks alike.