Tag: Greece

Tourist attractions in Greece reopen, Greece welcomes tourists from all over the world. Tourists can enter Greece from this month. Tourist centers in Greece will be open from May 15. Beaches are open first. Prior to that, the Ministry of Tourism had directed the staff of all establishments operating on the beaches to produce the covid Negative Certificate. But the bars and cafes on the beaches are closed. This is because covid has the potential to spread. Only essential services are available at the beaches. Travelers from the 30 countries released by Greece do not need to stay in quarantine. ... Read more

Greek archaeologists have unearthed by chance a more than 2,500-year-old bronze bull idol at the archaeological site of Olympia, the culture ministry said on Friday. The statuette was found intact, close to the temple of ancient Greek god Zeus at Olympia. An observant archaeologist came across the mini-statue during work at the site, one of the most celebrated sanctuaries in ancient Greece, the ministry said in a statement. With one of its horns sticking out of the ground after heavy rainfall, the statuette was found intact, close to the temple of ancient Greek god Zeus at Olympia, the birthplace of ... Read more

“The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its members praised the Greek government for its tremendous efforts and strategic steps taken to restart international travel from 14 May” said Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC. “This clear roadmap to recovery could reopen the door to a bumper summer of travel for sun-starved holidaymakers looking to get away to Greece and provide a significant boost to the country’s economy. “It also lays out the pathway which other countries could follow, in a bid to kickstart safe travel and help revive their own stricken economies. “The Greek government’s strategy and measures ... Read more

As part of the new funding scheme of ‘Strengthening the Establishment and Operation of New Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises’ 2014-2020, an amount of  411.5 million euros will be allocated to 2,527 small and medium-sized tourism enterprises in Greece. It was announced by the Greek Economy and Development Ministry. The awardees of the fund were selected after evaluating 7,297 investment plans for various objectives like hotel ventures, furnished rooms or apartments etc. Out of the 2,527 SMEs, 1,786 are part of the ‘Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ operational program and 741 are part of the regional operational programs. The program was ... Read more

Indian tourist arrivals to Greece has more than doubled to 38,046 in the first nine months of the current calendar year. Around 17,376 Indian tourists visited Greece in the same period of 2017, according to a data by Greece National Tourist Office (GNTO) and Athens International Airport. “Greece as a destination has gained momentum over the years and we are glad to witness the rising interest of Indians for Greece as a popular holiday destination across the country. Our approach is to target the captive audience across various age groups simply by appealing to every kind of travel need,” said Konstantinos ... Read more

British best-selling author Victoria Hislop said she is interested to work with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) to transform some of her short stories into films that will “introduce people to a different side of Greece”. Hislop has written several books based in Greece including the best-selling novel ‘The Island’. She expressed her interest addressing a press conference held by the GNTO at World Travel Market (WTM) London 2018. After expressing her admiration for Greece and describing her visit to Serifos, Hislop revealed that she is discussing the possibility of the GNTO sponsoring short films based on her short ... Read more

Oman Air has announced its plan to add Athens, the capital of Greece to its expanding network. The airline said this was first of its several new routes to be launched in 2019. The daily flight to and from Athens will be operated with the new-state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Oman Air flight WY 191 will depart Muscat at 2.45 pm and reach Athens at 7.50 pm, while on return it will take off from Athens airport at 12.20 am and reach Muscat at 6.35 am. “We are extremely proud and happy to add Athens to our rapidly growing network, as ... Read more

Tourist arrivals in Greece jumped 22.3 per cent in June compared with the same period last year, with tourism revenues rising 16 per cent, Bank of Greece (BoG) data on the current account surplus released Monday show. In the first half of the year, tourist arrivals and revenues rose 19.1 per cent and 18.9 per cent respectively, against the first six months of 2017. Tourism revenues increased to 2.33 billion euros in June from 2 billion in the same month of 2017. Greece’s current account balance showed a smaller surplus in June compared to the same month of 2017 on ... Read more

Greek Tourism Confederation’s (SETE) has launched a new digital campaign on www.axiagiaolous.gr, which will highlight the value of the country’s tourism in accordance with employment, revenue, growth and social cohesion. The campaign is marketed under the slogan ‘Tourism: Value for All’. The campaign driven by social media aims at spreading the impact of tourism across all regions and every aspect of society. The campaign under the tag #kiomos , which means ‘yes, indeed’ in Greek, will bring in 12 real-life professionals who are involved directly or indirectly in tourism sector, which includes a chef, a mechanic, a theater clerk, a salesperson, a ... Read more

Greece was awarded as the leading tourism destination in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for 2018 by SACEN International during a special ceremony recently held in Belgrade, Serbia. Hailed as the “Oscars of Tourism”, during the last 17 years the awards are given to countries and enterprises active in the field of tourism in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe. The winners are selected in seven categories: Tourism destination; business tourism; cultural tourism; tour operator; gastronomy tourism; best enterprise in the catering sector; tourism personality of the year in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe. Greece’s award was received by the head ... Read more

In its endeavor to further ease visa applications for Indians planning to visit Greece, Global Visa Center World (GVCW), the Greek visa service provider for India, said it will open its Visa Application Centres on Saturdays also. Applicants can now avail prime time visa services offered by GVCW to submit their applications at the 15 visa centres across India. There centres are in cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa. “These services will be available every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Applicants can also collect their passports on Saturdays,” said a GVCW press release. GVCW ... Read more

Qatar Airways’ first flight to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, touched down at Thessaloniki International Airport ‘Makedonia’ yesterday. The airline’s Airbus A320 was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute, followed by welcome ceremony for VIP delegates. The new four times-weekly service from Doha to Greece commenced just one month ahead of the launch of its third destination in Greece, the beautiful island of Mykonos. “Qatar Airways’ new service to Thessaloniki will help reinforce links between the State of Qatar and Greece, and deepen the friendship and co-operation between our two great countries. Our second gateway in Greece, Thessaloniki is a ... Read more

Dubai’s most recognised airline service provider Fly Dubai has recently added two international destinations to their fleet. The newly added spots are from Thessaloniki in Greece and Aquaba in Jordan. The new flight schedules will come into effect in June 2018. Aqaba Port Aquaba, a city in Jordan, is unique for its coastal significance as well as historic importance. The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba. White Tower, Thessaloniki, Greece ... Read more