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Greece's latest tourism industry news by Greek Travel Pages

Hatta General Assembly Speaker Angers Some Agents

During the recent annual general assembly of the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourism Agents, almost a dozen special guests took to the podium.Most of the speakers were representatives of the country's political parties who, without exception, spoke on the importance of...

Planned New Convention Center Includes New Hotel

The Attica hotel owners association met with the head of Hellenic Tourism Properties recently to discuss the construction of a convention center at the old Athens International Airport at Hellenikon. When and if completed, the center will accommodate 8,000 participants. A hotel...

Full Liberation of Ferry Routes Doubtful

Presently, four of Greece's major ferry routes -- Dodekanissos, Cylades, Argosaronikos, Crete -- fulfill the requirements for complete liberation when discussions are finalized between Greece's merchant marine ministry and the European Commission.

Renewed Interest in Golf Investment

The Greek tourism sector, struggling to defend its share of the market against cheaper rivals such as Turkey and other Mediterranean nations, is eager to stretch its season beyond the summer months and become more than a sun-and-sea paradise for holidaymakers that are on a budget.

Blue Palace Enters Luxury Collection

The Blue Palace Resort & Spa at Elounda on Crete as of January entered the privileged club of distinctive hotels when it became a member of the Starwood Luxury Collection. The collection is classed as "the world's most extraordinarily unique of hotels and resorts." Blue Star...

Research Institute Sees Continual Tourism Decline

Greece's tourism sector continued to fall further behind its foreign competitors during the first nine-month period of this year, according to the latest report published by the Institute for Tourism Research and Forecasting.

Worst Tourism Season in 30 Years

Greece's tourism enterprises haven't felt such negative pressure in 30 years, says the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourism Agents. "The negative economic effects experienced thus far have reached dangerous proportions for the future of tourism enterprises," says the...

New Investment Bill Introduced

The Greek finance ministry recently introduced a draft bill on investment incentives. The bill contains five points that are significant for the tourism sector. First, investment subsidies for comprehensive plans for refurbishing hotels are revised from 4.5 million euros to 10...

New Transportation Business Plan Announced

Government last month announced the approval of a new "Railway-Airport-Public Transport" business plan worth almost 3 billion euros. The lion's share of the funds, some 2 billion euros, goes to modernizing Greece's rail network, particularly the Athens-Thessaloniki and...

New Crete Golf Course Opens July 5

Greece's newest golf course opens this month on the island of Crete. Owners say it is the most challenging golf course in Greece and one that will be meticulously maintained. The course takes in the typical ancient landscape of Crete and will host many of the visitors that come...

A Common EU Tourism Policy Possible and Likely

The informal meeting last month of EU development ministers and tourism officials on the island of Crete laid the foundations for drafting a common tourism policy in the European Union by proposing specific measures on tourism promotion and communication.

HATTA Sides With Traveling Public

An Athens court recently ruled in favor of an injunction brought by the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents against the Media & Travel Group, which distributes Travel Card, advertised as offering discount accommodation in over 300 hotels throughout Greece.

Amphitrion Opens New Office On Santorini

One of Greece's leading travel companies, the Amphitrion Group of Companies, continued its expansion activities recently with the launch of a new branch office on the island of Santorini.

Strintzis Management Pleasantly Surprised

Traffic on our new routes is even better than we expected, says Blue Star Ferries (Strintzis Lines) sales and marketing director, Michalis Sakelis. "We are particularly pleased and pleasantly surprised with the traffic on our new Piraeus-Chania route," he says.

Tourism Promotion Campaign Underway

The Hellenic Tourism Organization said it would begin its 7.3-million-euro tourism advertising campaign abroad this month. The organization's president, Yiannis Patellis, said that the campaign's theme would very much resemble that of last year and announced that Greece had...

Blue Star Ferries Inaugurates Chania-Piraeus Route

Piraeus-based Blue Star Ferries now runs a ferry route from Piraeus to Chania, Crete, with its newbuild Blue Star 2. The journey takes a mere five hours and 45 minutes. The vessel, built in 2000, plies the route at a speed of 28 miles an hour and carries up to 1,900 passengers...

Strintzis Introduces New Routes

Within the new liberalized framework of Greek coastal shipping, Strintzis Lines (Blue Star Ferries), expands its routes. As of this month, the Greek ferry line is at the forefront with three brand new ships on the Cycladic Islands' routes, the Blue Star 1 in the Dodecanese on the...

Tourism to Greece at Satisfactory Levels Says WTO

Tourism arrivals to Greece in 2002 remained at a satisfactory level, said the Word Tourism Organization's secretary general, Francisco Frangialli, during the recent Fitur travel fair held in Madrid. He added that prospects for Greece's tourism sector remain positive in light of...

The Rise and Fall of Greece’s Top Name in Travel

A few years back, many in the travel industry would point to Manos Travel as an example of how to succeed in the business. The company started from a small office and through pioneering ideas grew by leaps and bounds into the biggest and most successful in the country.

New Lodging Complex For Wine Lovers

Georgos Kokotos, once a well-known hotelier with units on Rodos and Crete, is back in the business: This time with a new and unique product for Greece. He is creating a winery complex with accommodation facilities for visitors who wish to acquaint themselves with the entire...