Le Figaro Presents ‘Eternal Athens’ Special Edition

The Acropolis, Athens. Photo Source: Visit Greece / Y Skoulas

French daily newspaper Le Figaro recently presented a special edition titled “Eternal Athens” (Athènes Eternelle), dedicated to the Greek capital’s classical and contemporary features.

The 160-page edition is part of the “Le Figaro Hors-série”, a series focusing on art and culture, with a circulation of 80,000 copies and well-educated, high-income readers.

The “Athènes Eternelle” feature was recently presented during an event organized by the French newspaper and the office of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) in France, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Paris, in the presence of 400 guests.

“Athènes Eternelle” was published following a familiarization trip to Athens, held by GNTO in February.

Athens, Greece. Photo source: Region of Attica

Athens breaks record of tourism arrivals

During the event, GNTO Secretary General Konstantinos Tsegas referred to Athens’ potential as a city break destination and said that arrivals increased by 13.3 percent during the first three months of 2019.

Le Figaro Hors-série Editor-in-Chief Michel De Jaeghere; GNTO Secretary General Konstantinos Tsegas; Le Figaro Editor-in-Chief  Alexis Brézet, and the head of the GNTO office in France Dimitra Voziki.

Meanwhile, in 2018, the Greek capital broke all records and received 5.7 travelers, which is up by 19.4 percent compared to 2017.

“The ancient, eternal, classical Athens that co-exists with byzantine tradition, is reborn and promoted as an exciting metropolis among the capitals of the world, featuring new museums, cultural organizations and many art initiatives,” Tsegas said.

The event included a round-table discussion on Athens’ contemporary history, as well as a number of cultural events including a theatrical performance with extracts from Sophocles’ “Antigone” performed by the Démodocos theater group; rebetiko songs and Greek traditional dances.

The event was supported by the Hellenic Cultural Center in Paris.