New Greek Tourism Campaign Unveiled… ‘Oh My Greece’

Greece’s wide diversity, nature, culture, gastronomy and lifestyle, are showcased through “Oh My Greece | Unlock the Feeling”, the country’s new tourism promotional campaign to markets abroad.

Marketing Greece CEO Ioanna Dretta.

Launched on Wednesday by Marketing Greece, a private marketing company for Greek tourism, the campaign kicked off with its new video, presented to a packed audience at the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens by the company’s CEO, Ioanna Dretta.

The two-minute video features a series of images of Greece and focuses on the hospitality of the locals who invite foreign travelers to the country to experience a Greek holiday, one that will have then saying… “Oh My Greece”.

And while “sun and sea”, Greece’s main features, are seen throughout the video, the campaign’s main aim is to highlight that Greece has even more to offer as it promotes the uniqueness and the travel experience that can be lived by visitors.

“We want to enrich the visitor’s experience with even more details. There is always more Greece to see… A Greece that promises original, unique, authentic travel experiences,” Dretta said while presenting the campaign.

Marketing Greece’s CEO underlined that the Greek tourism product may be a combination of nature, culture, gastronomy, habits and lifestyle, but it is also offers something more direct: the hospitality of the Greeks.

“We really need to understand how much we can offer through our hospitality and how much we are loved for it… Hospitality for our guests is not only perfect accommodation conditions… It is also the friendliness and smile of the locals, she said.

The “Oh My Greece | Unlock the Feeling” campaign will run under Greece’s official tourism logo, following permission granted by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).

Tourism Minister: The new video is an excellent production

Speaking during the presentation, Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura thanked Marketing Greece for its long-term cooperation, which actively supports the ministry’s tourism policy.

Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

“Public-private partnership and the development of synergies that are beneficial to our tourism, are top priorities in our strategy… The new video Marketing Greece has presented is an excellent production,” Minister Kountoura said.

The new tourism campaign will be promoted through the GNTO’s offices abroad in all foreign markets. Its first stop will be the upcoming tourism exhibition ITB Berlin in Germnay, where it will be presented and screened at the Greek stand.

Marketing Greece will soon release a series of shorter videos, copyright free, for use in social media by Greek tourism enterprises.

Following the presentation, a panel discussion of the campaign’s “visionary sponsors” took place moderated by the president of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Yiannis Retsos.

“Marketing Greece is the private sector alliance for the promotion of the Greek tourism product and its mission is to offer additional support to the country’s tourism strategy in cooperation with the state bodies,” Retsos said.

Panel discussion of “visionary sponsors”: (from right) SETE President Yiannis Retsos, Sani-Ikos Group CEO Andreas Andreadis, AEGEAN President Eftychios Vassilakis, Eurobank Deputy Managing Director Konstantinos Vassiliou, Mitsis Hotels Group Managing Director Stavros Mitsis, Grecotel Marketing Director Giannis Tsichlis and Coca-Cola General Manager for Greece, Lilian Nektariou.

“Tourism has opportunities for even better days, provided that new tourism products are created that are directly related to launching and highlighting destinations. The requirement for partnerships and cooperation becomes – more than ever – imperative,” SETE’s president added.

A result of collaborations, through contributions and sponsorships, the video was directed by Michalis Bekos and produced by DTMH Digital Studio.

Aiming to boost the campaign’s promotion all over the world, Marketing Greece has launched a fundraising campaign that will run until the end of September.

Launched in 2013, Marketing Greece SA is a non-profit organization and was founded by the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and the Hellenic Association of Communications Agencies (EDEE).