Pelion Goes Viral Via Greek Travel Bloggers Fam Trip Arranged by Spyrou Philoxenia

Images and stories from the mountainous region of Pelion with its small villages, pristine beaches and great food went viral following a familiarization (fam) trip for Greek travel bloggers organized last month by hotel management company Spyrou Philoxenia.

True to its mission, to showcase Pelion’s wide variety of tourism offerings  including unique natural beauty, cultural heritage, local traditions, outdoor activities, cuisine, and warm hospitality, Spyrou Philoxenia invited Travel Bloggers Greece (TBG) to celebrate their two-year anniversary … in Greece.

The bloggers had the opportunity to visit Pelion as a winter destination with plenty of snow fall, do some hiking, tour the region’s historic villages, indulge in local delicacies and ‘mezedes’ in Volos, visit the ski resort near Chania, take a “Moutzouris” train ride and participate in the traditional New Year’s Cake cutting ceremony at Manthos Hotel Resort & Spa. They then promoted their images and impressions through the social media under the hashtag #DestinationPelion.

“Spyrou Philoxenia is keen on working with travel bloggers as we understand their impact on travelers’ holiday decision-making,” said John Grigoras, deputy manager sales & marketing at Spyrou Philoxenia.

“Our company’s goal is to create life-long memories for our guests through authentic experiences coupled with professional services and select accommodations at our affiliate member hotels.”

The fam trip was a collaboration between private business such as Trekking Hellas and Les Hirondelles, institutions such as the Hotel Owners Association of Magnesia, and the public sector in the form of the Prefectural Units of Magnesia and Sporades Islands. The travel bloggers were hosted at Aglaida Hotel & Apartments in Tsagarada.

TBG: Celebrating 2 years of travel blogger teamwork

Travel Bloggers Greece’s (TBG) two-year anniversary was a great opportunity to promote Pelion as a special year-round destination in Greece, according to the founders of the network, Elena Sergeeva and Marissa Tejada.

The three-day itinerary included hiking in Tsagarada with Trekking Hellas to photograph the region’s mountain and sea views. A tour of several villages included Vyzitsa, Milies, Afissos, Zagora and Makrinitsa.

“Spyrou Philoxenia showed us the best that Pelion has to offer so we can relay what we learned to our international followers”, said Tejada.

Travel Bloggers Greece (TBG) founders, Elena Sergeeva and Marissa Tejada.

The bloggers also experienced local gastronomy including at O Patis taverna in Zagora and a tsipouro tasting at Lepi in Volos. For a coffee with a view, the Greece based bloggers enjoyed the hospitality at Hotel Maistrali in Afissos. TBG also had the chance to sample a traditional Greek dinner hosted by the staff at the award-winning Kritsa restaurant in Portaria, a member of the Guest Inn network.

“Our members look forward to blogging about their experiences in full, over the next month, on their individual travel blogs”, Sergeeva added.

Hospitality consultants Spyrou Philoxenia is currently working with four hotels in Pelion and operates seven properties on the island of Skopelos in addition to managing reservations and sales for additional enterprises there. The company is now expanding its roster with new partnerships to be announced soon.