Greece Aims For More Promotion On The Big Screen To Influence Tourist Decision-Making

The famous scene of “Zorba the Greek” (1964) with Anthony Quinn dancing at the rhythms of syrtaki on a beach of Stavros village on Crete.

The Greek Tourism Ministry wants to get the country into more movies to have an effect on the destination selection of travelers and through that influence visitor flows.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni held a meeting on 19 June with representatives from the Greek Film Center, the Greek Film Academy and the Union of Film Producers and discussed the need for Greece to attract more foreign film producers in order for the country to receive further promotion abroad.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni discussing promoting Greece through international films. Photo © Greek Tourism Ministry

During the meeting, she highlighted that Greece would gain greatly if promoted through international films.

“It is very important for our country to attract big producers that will make films based on themes from ancient and modern Greece,” Mrs. Kefalogiani said.

According to the Greek tourism minister, cinema can promote Greece’s culture abroad and boost the country’s tourism. “A good film attracts tourists wishing to see the landscapes where the shooting took place,” she underlined.

All sides agreed for a working group to be established to coordinate actions and resolve specific issues.

Greece in the movies

According to reports, international films that have been shot in Greece have in fact made the country popular and even more famous for its landscape, culture and tradition.

To name a few: Boy on a Dolphin (1957, Hydra, Rhodes, Milos, Athens), Apollo Goes on Holiday (1968, Athens, Epidauros, Nafplion, Corfu), Zorba the Greek (1964, Crete), Shirley Valentine (1989, Mykonos), Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001, Kefalonia), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001, Santorini), Mama Mia! (2008, Skopelos , Skiathos, Pelion), Before Midnight (2013, Messinia-Peloponnese) and The Two Faces of January (2014, Acropolis and Plaka in Athens and Chania, Chalepa and Heraklion on Crete). Currently in production on Patmos is an independent English-American film named Interlude: City of a Dead Woman.