May 2003

2003 is a crucial year
Every cloud does, indeed, have a silver lining. Six months ago, there were so many clouds gathering on the horizon of the tourist season that businesses in the sector, from travel agents and hoteliers to tour bus operators and restaurateurs, were frantically looking for umbrellas. But, thankfully, the worst-case scenarios that had gripped the entire tourism industry have not been realized and if the start of the 2003 season is any indication, we have every reason to be guardedly optimistic that 2003 might not be a banner year, but it won't be a bad one, either.
In January, the impending Iraq war created uncertainty not only about global stability but also about the war's effect on the global economy. But the U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq was concluded relatively swiftly, thus allowing sufficient time for the tourism market to bounce back. It's still too early to make any predictions, but preliminary data from visitors taking advantage of the Easter break is encouraging. Examples include an increase in charter arrivals from Austria on Corfu, Kos, and Rhodes, and a general 14 percent increase in bookings from Austria. By contrast, destinations that compete with Greece for the same share of the tourist market - for example, Turkey - have been hurt by the war.
But then the sky was clouded again by the outbreak of the severe respiratory syndrome, SARS. At press time, there has not been an outbreak of any SARS cases in Greece and authorities have begun to feel confident that measures put into place will succeed in stemming the disease's spread. As in the case of the Iraq war, Greece stands poised to benefit from SARS as the outbreak has effectively killed tourism to the Far East, which had become an increasingly popular tourist destination for western travellers.
For once, it seems, the Greek habit of doing things late - such as organizing tourism promotion campaigns abroad - may actually pay off as this year a large number of people seem to have delayed taking decisions about their holidays.
Greece also stands to benefit from the publicity already being generated for the 2004 Olympic Games. Travel writers and foreign journalists are visiting the country in unprecedented numbers, either on their own initiative or on special tours organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT). British, Italian, German, Danish, American, Australian, and Israeli media have all visited Greece recently - and more are expected. Meantime, EOT is stepping up its presence at international travel shows.
For its part, the Greek government is doing its best to capitalize on the interest generated by 2004 Games and the Greek-fever spread by the sleeper hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." EOT even developed a clever tie-in promotion with the Conde Nast Group that could make Greek weddings and honeymoons the next fad.
For many of us in the tourism sector, berating or blaming the government has become a professional trait. There are many areas in which the government's tourism policy - or simply its implementation - is lacking. But we should stop expecting the government to do or be everything. Greece has a window of opportunity and private initiative is just as vital in keeping this window open.

Hellenic Travelling

EOT draws up plans for Kaiafas development
Deputy Development Minister Dimitris Georgakopoulos recently presented a feasibility study prepared by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) to develop the Kaiafas area in the Peloponnese province of Ilia.
An international tender for the project would be issued by Hellenic Tourist Properties, EOT's real estate division.
Georgakopoulos said developing the Kaiafas area would bolster tourist development throughout the Ilia region. The investment capital for the plan is estimated at over 150 million euros.
The study examined ways of exploiting the area's potential for tourist development. It includes plans to upgrade thermal springs and create a modern spa around a 200-room, four-star hotel as well as a 400-room, five-star hotel specializing in thalassotherapy treatments. The plan also examined prospects for creating an 18-hole golf course, marinas, and other recreational facilities.
Total construction is estimated at 110,000 square meters on an area of 1,125 stremmas, with an additional 4,000 stremmas for natural landscaping. The project is expected to create between 600 and 1,200 jobs.

Tourism focus of Amorgos press meeting
Amorgos, which served as the setting for Luc Besson's film "Le Grand Bleu" (The Big Blue), hosted a four-day meeting of the cultural press in early May to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the movie's release.
This time the film provided the backdrop for discussing the role of culture in promoting tourism. Journalists were addressed by local dignitaries such as Amorgos Mayor Nikolas Fostieris, archaeologists, artists, and a represented of the Athens 2004 organizing committee. The convention was held at the Aegiali Hotel.

EOT launches TV campaign in U.K.
British television viewers were able to enjoy more than two hours of daily programming that highlighted Greece as a travel destination as part of an extended campaign by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) on Britain's Travel Channel.
The promotion campaign, which ran from April 15 to May 30, featured 30-minute programs that were broadcast five times a day. Each program highlighted popular destinations such as the islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Kos, Kefalonia, and the northern Halkidiki peninsula. The promotional shows were produced by EOT in cooperation with the Travel Channel. The broadcast was sponsored by EOT and Visa under an agreement signed in London by EOT and the British TV channel. The shows were also sponsored by the Sofitel, Chandris, and Marriott Hotels.
The promotion was geared towards destinations favored by large British tour operators such as TUI/Thomson, MyTravel, Thomas Cook, First Choice, Cosmos, Argos, and Libra.
In addition to Britain, the Travel Channel also broadcasts throughout Europe and is seen by 14 million viewers in the UK and 17 million viewers in the rest of Europe. Local broadcasts are in seven languages, including Greek.

Aegean signs agreement with Alpi Eagles
Aegean Airlines and Italy's Alpi Eagles have signed a commercial cooperation agreement, including code-share, for selected flights on their network. The agreement will allow passengers on the two carriers to take advantage of routes offered by the cooperating carrier.
Alpi Eagles, an IATA member, is based at Venice's Marco Polo airport and has been flying to Greece since 1997. It has a fleet of eight Fokker 100 craft that fly to eight key destinations within Italy and a number of European destinations. Aegean Airlines has routes to most major Greek airports, including Thessaloniki, Iraklio and Hania (Crete), Rhodes, Santorini, and Myconos.
Aegean passengers who now wish to fly to Venice should check in at the Alpi Eagles counter at the Athens International Airport.

Hotel managers association elects board
Yiannis Simos of the Park Hotel was elected president of the board of the Association of Athens Hotel Managers.
Founded in 1998 to foster cooperation among hotel managers, the association now has 60 members.
Serving on the board with Simos are: Dimitris Kakaris, Grecotol Athens, Acropol, and Omonia Grand, as vice president; Nikos Houliaras, Best Western Coral, general secretary; Natassa Andonopoulou, Esperia Palace Hotel, public relations; Leonidas Tsangaris, Airotel Hotels, treasurer; and members Maria Sarafoglou, Zante Park Hotel, and Yiannis Patsourakos, Divani Caravel.

German media highlights Greek isles
The Cyclades, Crete, and the Peloponnese are being featured in the June edition of the German magazine Abenteur und reisen.
The magazine, which has a readership of 500,000, will devote 200 pages to Greece in the June issue, with focus on Santorini, Paros, Myconos, Crete, and the Peloponnese. The extensive articles will be accompanied by travellers' information.

EOT at Budapest celebration
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) participated in the celebration of "Europe Day" recently organized in Budapest by the Hungarian government and other organizations.
The celebrations were held along a "European Cultural Boulevard," where representatives of the 15-member European Union organized stands to distribute material about their countries and cultures.

Rhodes on Italian TV
The Italian state broadcaster RAI recently aired a documentary on the Knights of Rhodes on its RAI 3 channel.
The 30-minute documentary was aired on Easter Monday (Catholic) in prime time. The program was filmed in June 2002.

Greece at German travel incentives expo
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and 15 Greek exhibitors participated in the international IMEX show held in Germany earlier this spring.
The show targets the convention and travel incentives sector. This year, IMEX drew 2,000 exhibitors from 110 countries.
Total exhibition space was 10,000 square meters. The Greek pavilion occupied an area of 260 square meters and exhibitors included local tourist authorities, hotels, convention centers, and Olympic Airways.

Austrians choose Greece
Bookings by Austrian tourists in April rose 14.37 percent over the same period of the previous year, the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) said in a statement.
It said that data from the EOT branch in Vienna and Austrian tour operators Gulet showed a rise in Greek bookings, compared to a 22 percent drop in bookings for Turkey and a smaller slide in bookings for Cyprus, Egypt, and Tunisia.
Bookings for Hania were up 276 percent over last year, while Gulet also reported a 108 percent increase in bookings for Kefalonia and 81 percent increase in bookings for Corfu. By contrast, bookings for Zakynthos, Iraklio (Crete), Samos, Hios, and Halkidiki were down, with the greatest drop (31.44 percent) recorded for Santorini-Ios.

Hilton named IOC official hotel
The Athens Hilton has been chosen as the official hotel of the International Olympic Committee for the Athens 2004 Games.
The contract between the IOC and the hotel was signed by the head of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, and the vice president of Hilton International Peter Van der Vliet.
The Athens Hilton has recently resumed operations after a massive renovation overseen by the internationally-acclaimed Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis in cooperation with the AETER Architects S.A.-Harry K. Bougadelis, the interior designers Bilkey Lines Design Associates Inc, and the construction firm Elliniki Technodomiki.
A new wing with 74 new rooms has been added, bringing the total number of rooms to 517. The refurbished hotel features 119 rooms on the Executive Floor, which has its own reception and clubroom. The hotel operates four restaurants and two bars, meeting facilities with their own 6,000-square-meter business center. A fitness center with indoor swimming pool has been added to the open-air pool, parking facilities have been expanded, and the ballroom completely transformed.
Yiannis Kostopoulos, president of Alpha Bank and Ionian Hotel Enterprises, which owns the Athens Hilton, attended the contract signing.

Italian press trip to Athens
Ten Italian journalists, representing both the print and electronic media, visited Greece in mid-May on a press tour organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and the Centro Turistico Studentesco.
During their four-day visit, the Italian journalists toured the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Frissiras Museum, and the Athens metro. They also met with officials of the Athens 2004 organizing committee and enjoyed a brief trip to Myconos.

HATTA on bus accident
The Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) has expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the 21 high school students killed in a tragic road accident near the Vale of Tempe.
The students, who were returning from an excursion, were killed when their tour bus collided with a truck carrying timber. In its message, HATTA said it had submitted several proposals aimed at improving safety for school trips.

Court issues ruling on Travel Card
Media & Travel Group said it would fight a temporary advertising ban on its Travel Card discount hotel plan issued in response to an injunction against the plan filed in an Athens court by the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA). The Travel Card program was devised to bolster hotel bookings in the off-season. The cards, sold at kiosks and bookstores, entitled members to discounted room rates at participating hotels.
HATTA had filed an injunction against the company, claiming that its ads misled the public. In a statement issued after the court ruling, HATTA said that the decision banned ads or commercials that did not clearly mention the program's expiration date or that used the phrases that equated the cost of a room night with the cost of breakfast.
Consumer associations INKA and EKPOIZO had also issued statements criticizing the discount program for lack of clarity about restrictions.
Media & Travel Group said that the first phase of its promotional strategy had been completed and that the second phase of the campaign would focus on highlighting inexpensive holidays available through the Travel Card program. It said a new directory of participating hotels had been published and would be available from kiosks for E1. Information about the program and participating hotels is also available online at www.travelcard.gr

US Airways restructuring ratified by court
A U.S. court has ratified a fast track restructuring plan submitted by US Airways in a bid to avoid filing bankruptcy under Chapter 11. The plan's approval opened the way for the airline to resume operations after March 31.

Evharis Estate wins prize for wine
The Evharis Estate was awarded a gold medal at the Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles 2003 for its wine Syrah 2000.
Two other vintages produced by the estate, Erithro Ktima Evharis 2000 (Evharis Estate Red) and Merlot Ktima Evharis 2000 (Evharis Estate Merlot) won silver medals at the same event.
Owned and operated by Eva and Haris Antoniou, the Evharis Estate is located at Pefkenea in Megara, about 40 kilometers west of Athens. The estate includes vineyards, old-fashioned wine press, and wine cellars, and is available for private receptions and other events. Information about the estate is available online at www.evharis.gr

Hoteliers discuss tourism Problems, prospects
Representatives of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, the Hotel Chamber of Greece, and hoteliers' associations from northern Greece recently met at the Sani Hotel in Halkidiki to discuss the problems facing the tourism industry.
The talks focused on the fallout from the Iraq war, the difficulties in issuing visas to visitors from eastern European countries, and lack of Greece's promotion abroad.
Hoteliers also expressed concern over the system for awarding hotel ratings or stars and safety along the overland routes linking Austria and Greece through Yugoslavia.

Pressure mounts for creating tourism chamber
Eleven professional and trade associations representing the 300,000 enterprises and employing an estimated one million workers in the tourism industry have joined forces in calling for the need to create a Tourism Chamber to represent this diverse sector.
In a joint statement, the groups said that creating a Tourism Chamber would help unify the industry and rationalize the sector's representation. The statement said that problems specific to each sector within the tourism industry could only be resolved through comprehensive solutions that took into account factors affecting the industry as a whole rather than individual sectors. It added that the Tourism Chamber would address issues that are not completely addressed public sector and could act as an advisory board for the government.
One sticking point in the plan is whether the Chamber of Greek Hotels would be included in a tourism chamber. In their statement, the eleven trade associations said that the chamber should embrace all sectors that were not represented at the chamber level and that the legal framework could be worked out if agreement was reached with the Chamber of Greek Hotels to merge the two.
The trade associations included the coach owners' federation GPOP, the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA), the union of owners of passenger ships EEEP, and the restaurateurs' POESE federation.

Unesco adopts 'olive routes'
A Greek proposal to create an "olive route" as part of the Mediterranean's cultural heritage and a vital component of sustainable development was adopted by the 166th executive council of Unesco.
The initiative was developed by Greece in the framework of Unesco's policies aimed at preserving the world's natural and cultural heritage; fostering intercultural cooperation; support for sustainable development; closer European-Mediterranean cooperation; and, the Olympic truce.
The Greek proposal was formally presented in April at a reception hosted by Development Minister Akis Tsohadzopoulos at the Benaki Museum. The reception was attended by head of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), Yiannis Patellis, Greece's ambassador to Unesco, writer Vassilis Vassilikos, the ambassadors of Mediterranean countries, and representatives of the tourism industry.

Dane chronicles Samaria experience
Danish journalist Kim Engelbrechtsen recounts his experiences during a trek through the Samaria Gorge on Crete in a feature published in Rejseliv, the travel section of the Danish newspaper Berligske Tidende.
The article recommends that readers attempt the hike in May or September when the heat is less intense.

Plotin at Touristiko Panorama
The Plotin Group made its presence again this year at the annual Touristiko Panorama travel show in Piraeus.
Three companies from the group participated in the expo with stalls: Tarom, the Romanian national carrier which is represented in Greece by Plotin Air; Plotin Wholesalers, a service company active in hotel bookings, car rentals, transfers, and excursions; and, the Roda-Beach Village, a first-class hotel resort on Corfu.

Israeli travel market reopens
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) reported a noticeable increase in the tourist flow since the end of the Iraq war, although bookings remain at low levels compared to the previous year.
To boost tourism, the EOT branch office recently organized a press trip to Athens and the Argolid for five Israeli journalists. A six-member television crew from Israel also visited the Peloponnese in early May to shoot a 40-minute program that will air on the Masha Olami (World Travel) program broadcast on Israel's Channel Two.

Convention center to open in mid-2005
The Athens Convention Center is expected to begin operating in mid-2005, Tassos Koumanis, president of the Greek association of convention planners, said in an interview with the Greek Business Channel.
Speaking on the "Business & Travel" show, Koumanis said that construction costs were expected to reach 146 million euros, and that final details were being discussed with Hellenic Tourism Properties (ETA), the real estate arm of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT).
Koumanis said that during a recent meeting with Environment Minister Vasso Papandreou and ETA chairman Tassos Homenidis, the Techniki Olympiaki-Eurexpro-Arup P. Ninios consortium building the convention center had also agreed on construction of a luxury hotel near the East Airport station.

Nia Vardalos in Greece
Nia Vardalos, the Greek American actress behind the blockbuster film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," will be one of three diaspora Greeks to be presented awards this year by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT).
This year's awards will focus on Greeks who have achieved international recognition in the entertainment industry. Along with Vardalos, EOT will confer awards on singer Viki Leandros, who makes her home in Germany, and Nikos Aliagas, one of France's most popular newscasters and television personalities.

Conde Nast focuses on Greece
Corfu was highlighted in a recent edition of the Conde Nast Traveller, which had previously published features on Myconos, Santorini, and Greek cuisine.
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 couples responded to a drawing organized by EOT and the Conde Nast Bridal Group linked to Nia Vardalos's hit film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." One couple will win an all-expenses paid wedding at Stemnitsa, in the Peloponnesian province of Arcadia. The wedding will be recorded on video and mailed to everyone who participated in the drawing and the U.S. cable channel HBO. Conde Nast will photograph the Greek wedding.

OA employees predict job cuts
Olympic Airways employee unions are bracing for across-the-board reductions in staff under a streamlining plan to be implemented as part of the transition to a "new" Olympic Airways.
Speaking on the Greek Business Channel's "Business & Travel," Sotiris Mourikis, head of the Olympic Airways flight attendants' union, said unions estimate that the restructured airline will retain just 400 of its 680 pilots, many of whom will be given the option of transferring to the Civil Aviation Authority or early retirement.
He said that as a result of the crisis in the airline industry promoted by the September 11 terrorist attack in the U.S. and competition from private airlines, the number of flight attendants employed by the Greek national carrier had already been reduced from1, 400 four years ago to 830. The union estimates that their number will be reduced by a further 100 under the new plan.
Mourikis said that Olympic Airways had suffered from unfair competition by prominent business and political leaders as well as the private sector.

Crete hosts EU tourism ministers
European Union tourism ministers held an informal council on Crete in early May as part of the meetings organized by the Greek presidency.
Development Minister Akis Tsohadzopoulos, who hosted the meeting, said that the Greek presidency had chosen to focus on the issue of tourism because it is an important economic and social activity for many EU countries. He emphasized that tourism is not just a national concern because it was affected and could be reinforced by EU policies.
Addressing his fellow ministers, Tsohadzopoulos said that it was necessary to review the implementation and effectiveness of the 10-point action plan on tourism adopted by the EU in November 2001. He said that the meeting also aimed at examining the competitiveness of Europe's tourism industry and to chart a new course for its growth based on the principles of sustainable development.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference marking the council's conclusion, Tsohadzopoulos said that Greece's tourist product did not only benefit the travel and accommodations sector, but the broader economy as well as "consumption of food, beverages, clothing, footwear, leisure activities, and infrastructure were basic elements that highlight the economic nature of tourism. Thus, when we speak of 14 million tourists, we are speaking of a huge market to which all industrial sectors contribute."
The meetings conclusions were presented to the press at a joint news conference held by Tsohadzopoulos and EU Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. Tsohadzopoulos said that it had become the link between other policies and tourism had become clear. He cited transport as an example, noting that in times of broader crisis, transportation costs were quite important to consumers.
He said that the meeting had agreed to support the creation of a common tourism website for all EU member-states as well as a new satellite tourism account.
Liikanen agreed that there were various policies had an effect on tourism, but noted that one crucial issue not raised during the meeting had been taxation. He said deciding what Value Added Tax should be applied on tourism and on which sectors was a difficult issue.

Writer says Greece should exploit language programs abroad
Greece should exploit the 303 modern Greek language programs run by foreign universities, writer and journalist Nikos Kambanis said in an interview with the Greek Business Channel.
Speaking on the "Business & Travel" show, Kambanis said that the existence of these language programs indicated the level of philhellene sentiment abroad.
He added that he had taken the initiative to found a network for philhellenes and that talks were underway to use a piece of land near Messolongi for this purpose.
The journalist criticized the lack of promotional programs abroad, and cited the Nia Vardalos hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as an example of a promotional vehicle.

Meeting discusses links between tourism, transport
Deputy Development Minister Dimitris Georgakopoulos emphasized the importance of the European Union's transport policy is critical in ensuring the competitiveness of Europe's tourism industry at a recent meeting of EU officials on Crete to discuss transport policy.
Dimitris Georgarakis, general secretary for tourism, also emphasized the need for tourism to be included in the European Constitution currently being drafted and discussed among the 15 EU member-states. He also underscored the need to develop a comprehensive program for a common European tourism promotion policy aimed at non-EU markets.
The Crete meeting was also addressed by the secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, Francesco Frangialli. He said that despite the negative signs, the sector should remain optimistic because tourism has always rebounded after periods of recession.
Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president of the World Organization of Transport and Tourism, meanwhile said that the EU was one of the most competitive tourist destinations and could become the world's top tourist destination in a few years thanks to the admission of 10 new members.

Greece figures prominently in foreign press
Greece is appearing more and more frequently in the travel sections of foreign newspapers such as the Sunday Times, which devoted three pages to Greece in a recent edition, the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) said in a statement.
It said that the Times had feature on the "islands of the gods" had highlighted Santorini, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Crete, Samos, Karpathos, Paros, Myconos, Skiathos, Skyros, and the Saronic islands. The feature also rated the Resort San Agostino in Kalamata as Greece's best beach.
Greek destinations have also been featured in the German media recently, including Mount Athos in Focus; Athens in Tina; the Ionian isles in Nesse Post; Santorini in General Antcigc, Crete in Skippen, the Nestos River in Sudwest Presse and Kolner Anzeiger, Meteora in Weight Watchers' Magazine, Lesvos in Frankfurther Rundschau, Halkidiki in Schwarzwalder Bote, Symi in Suddeutsche Zeitung, and Samos in the Hamburger Adenblatt.
Meantime, EOT published promotions in leading European newspapers Irish Independent, Der Standard, Zeit, Sunday Telegraph, and Sunday Times.

Carnival sets kids' hospitality record
Carnival Cruises, represented in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey by Amphitrion Travel, has been declared the most "child-friendly" cruise line, thanks to its large, on-board playgrounds and services that include babysitting, children's meals, and educational leisure activities.
Carnival Cruises also organizes a "Fun Ships" program that will host an estimated 400,000 children this year. Designated "fun ships" have special children's programs, computer labs, pizza parlors, and other amenities targeting children.
Carnival has recently acquired a new vessel, the Carnival Glory, which will complete sailings around the Caribbean as from July 19. The 110,000-ton Carnival Glory has a capacity of 2,974 passengers and will replace the Carnival Pride on the Caribbean route. The ship, which is the size of three football fields, has 22 lounges and bars, a 13,300-square-foot Polynesian health spa, two split-level restaurants, and a steakhouse.

Charter arrivals up in April
The Civil Aviation Authority has reported an increase in charter arrivals at the airports of Corfu, Kos, and Rhodes in April compared to the same month last year.
The increase was attributed to the Easter holiday. Charter arrivals on Corfu were up 11 percent, on Kos 46 percent, and on Rhodes 20 percent.

EOT to review tourist trends
The Greek National Tourism Organization will host a meeting of the heads of its foreign branches in Thessaloniki to examine tourism trends in the first half of 2003.
The meeting will be held immediately after the data for the period is available.

Blue Star reports new rise in traffic
Blue Star Ferries has reported a 36.04 percent increase in passenger traffic in April over the same period last year on its Piraeus-Hania route.
The route is served by Blue Star 2, a new vessel built in 2000 that reaches a speed of 28 knots.
The company said that in April, Blue Star 2 had carried 39,222 passengers, 4,053 cars, and 376 trucks, representing market shares of 48.77, 46.98, and 10.99 percent, respectively, on this route.
Traffic during Easter week on the Piraeus-Hania route was up 29.64 percent for passengers and 18.65 percent for cars over the Easter week of last year.

HATTA protests minister's remarks on SARS
The Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) has issued a statement protesting recent remarks by Health Minister Kostas Stefanis about the SARS outbreak.
In its statement HATTA said that the SARS has a serious effect on people's health and lives, and could trigger chain reactions on sectors of the economy such as tourism.
Responding to the minister's comments that hoteliers and people in the tourism sector should exercise caution when dealing with clients for high-risk countries, HATTA said that tourist enterprises could not be asked to shoulder responsibility serving or not serving such visitors without even being aware of which countries are considered high risk. HATTA emphasized the need for an urgent meeting of health officials and representatives of the tourism sector to discuss the issue and decide on strategies and measures to minimize risk.

Acropolis Rally draws spectators, visitors
The Acropolis Rally celebrated its golden anniversary year as the 50th race got underway. The anniversary was commemorated with a 300-page album reviewing the history of the race. It was also celebrated with the addition of a new route at Lilaia.

EU ministers visit Kastellorizo
The European Union's foreign ministers paid a one-day visit to the remote Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo on the sidelines of an informal council held on Rhodes in early May.
The ministers sailed to Kastellorizo aboard Hellas Flying Dolphins' Flyingcat 4.

Business travel down in first quarter of 2003
Business travel is down 30 percent in the first quarter of 2003, Yiorgos Matsangos, general manager of Afaia Travel & Congress, said in an interview with the Greek Business Channel.
Speaking on the "Business & Travel" show, Matsangos said that business travel had slid over the last two years. He cited the Iraq war and the recent SARS outbreak as factors that would likely affect business travel further.
Turning to Greece, Matsangos said that conference tourism accounted for just three percent of tourist arrivals in Greece, compared to six percent in Portugal. He called on the government to adopt measures and incentives aimed at increasing available conference space.

EOT at Cyprus trade show
Yiannis Patellis, head of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), represented Greece at the Cyprus international travel expo held in Nicosia. EOT also participated.

Pelican Bay lures visitors to Myconos
Pelican Bay, a luxury resort on the Cycladic island of Myconos, seeks to lure visitors with its combination of modern comforts and traditional Aegean aesthetics.
The hotel has 31 rooms, seven suites (including a VIP suite with a private jacuzzi). All rooms have balconies or terraces with sea views and are equipped with air conditioning unit, refrigerator, satellite television, safe, direct dial phone, and hair dryer. Rooms are accessible to persons with kinetic difficulties.
Pelican Bay opened in May 2000. It is located 100 meters from the island's Platis Yialos beach, a seven-minute drive from the airport and 10-minutes drive from the port.

ITEP examines tourism growth
The Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasts (ITEP) recently released its latest report on tourism and the economy. The report focuses on tourism growth, examining past trends to issue forecasts for 2003 and 2004.

Amphitrion opens Santorini branch
The Amphitrion Travel Group has opened a branch office on the island of Santorini as part of its plans to expand its presence in the tourism sector.
The branch office offers the following services: hotel bookings, plane and ferry bookings, cruise reservations, and conference organizing.
Amphitrion, which is based in Athens, has branch offices at Athens International Airport, on Myconos, in Piraeus and overseas offices in Japan, the U.S., and Canada.

Sound & Light on Rhodes
The Hellenic Festival has announced the new performance times for the Sound & Light show in Rhodes Town. Tickets cost 5 euros (reduced tickets 3 euros), programs cost 2 euros, posters 0.50 euros, and puzzles 10 euros. Tickets are sold at the booth in the Municipal Gardens, tel. 22410.21922. Admission is free for children under 10.
Performances times are through August 31 (one hour earlier from September 1 through October 31): Monday, 9:15 p.m. English, 10:15 p.m. French, 11:15 p.m. German; Tuesday 9:15 p.m. German, 10:15 p.m. Swedish, 11:15 p.m. English; 9:15 p.m. English, 10:15 p.m. French, 11:15 p.m. German; Thursday, 9:15 p.m. German, 10:15 p.m. Greek, 11:15 p.m. English; Friday, 9:15 p.m. English, 10:15 p.m. Greek, 11:15 p.m. German; Saturday, 9:15 p.m. German, 10:15 p.m. Swedish, 11:15 p.m. English.

Golden Age opens after renovation
The Golden Age Hotel has reopened for business after undergoing extensive renovation and refurbishment.
The hotel has 122 rooms and is also suitable for the Greek business or leisure traveller. The hotel restaurant and snack bar serve Greek and international dishes, while the four conference rooms have been equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment.
The Golden Age is conveniently located outside the central traffic perimeter, or daktylios, next to a 500-space parking garage. The metro and airport express stop are within walking distance.

Greece prepares for participation in London expo
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) has already begun preparing its presentation at the World Travel Market, one of the largest international travel trade shows.
The WTM is held in London each year and is scheduled to take place November 10-13 at the Excel exhibition center.

Halkidiki hoteliers elect board
Mihalis Athanasopoulos has been elected chairman of the board of the Halkidiki Hotel Association.
Also elected to the board are: Yerasimos Bakoyiannis, vice president; Konstantinos Tornivoulas, general secretary; Alexandros Aslanidis, treasurer; and Grigoros Tasios, Eleftherios Meletlides, and Yiorgos Hadziosif.

New show at the Cycladic Art Museum
The Museum of Cycladic Art will host an exhibition highlighting links between ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean from the 16th to the 6th centuries B.C. as part of the Cultural Olympiad. The exhibition will run through October 2003.

New restaurant at Divani Palace Acropolis
Socrates is the name of the new roof-top restaurant at the Divani Palace Acropolis, which offers diners a magnificent view of the Parthenon.
The restaurant seats 160 people and is open daily from 8:30 p.m. until 2 a.m., except Tuesdays. The menu features Greek and international cuisine and costs 40 euros for adults and 30 euros for children aged 12 and under. The restaurant features live music.

British Airways adds London flight
British Airways has announced the addition of a fourth daily flight to London from Athens. In addition to three daily flights between Athens and London's Heathrow Airport, the carrier has added a fourth to Gatwick Airport from June 1 to September 30.
BA2641 will depart daily (except Thursday) from Athens at 4:25 p.m., arriving in London (Gatwick) at 6:25 p.m. local time. British Airways flights to Heathrow depart daily at 8 a.m., 2:20 p.m., and 7:15 p.m.

Greece honored guest at Navalis
Greece was the guest of honor at the annual Navalis yacht show held in Venice.
The show is one of the premiere exhibitions for marine tourism.

Batek receives TUI award
TUI AG, the world's largest tour operator, has presented Batek S.A which represents Europcar in Greece with a cooperation award, citing the Greek company's qualitative service.
Europcar and TUI AG recently renewed their international cooperation for four more years.

From My Notebook - By Connie Soloyanis
- Commercial air traffic, particularly to the Middle East, is down more than 50 percent---the blame is more on Israel’s warlike tactics than the Iraqi ‘situation’.
- The overall slump in travel is even affecting local restaurants, tavernas and pubs, to say nothing of hotels.
- Some hotels reported a 40 percent occupancy over the Easter holidays, a rather low occupancy for the period.
- On the other hand small boat charters in Greece reportedly were high over the same holiday period, primarily from visitors from abroad.
- European airlines reportedly are losing more than five percent in traffic per week (compared to 2002).
- Another detriment to leisure travel has been the growing unemployment, in the U.S.A., especially in Germany, including Greece, and practically everywhere else. With further unemployment to come, according to indication factors.
- Online travel bookings made in the U.S.A. are now estimated at one billion dollars a year, and growing.
- In the U.S.A. the government is eliminating some 6,000 airport security screeners. Security is not to be diminished, but screening time may be increased. An estimated 50,000 screeners will still service the airports of the country.
- In the meanwhile railroad passenger traffic within the U.S.A. has risen over 21 percent over the past year thus far.
- In the battle against SARS, China is introducing passenger temperature checks at check-in points at all airports. And, the Canadian government is installing thermal scanners to check the temperature of all airline passengers.
- The Club Mediterranean has delayed the opening of new resorts, and is keeping some other locations closed for this year.
- Many cruises of the Far East have been canceled due to the flight of SARS.
- SARS has become the major drops in commercial air travel, not only in the Far East, but in North America and Europe as well.
- Reports are that tourist arrivals in Malaysia (foreigners normally fly to Malaysia from Hong Kong or neighboring Singapore) are down an incredible 90 percent due to SARS scare.
- Lufthansa is reportedly down some $60 million a week in sales due to the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Asia.
- But it is not all negative with tourism to Greece. Austrians accounted for a plus 14 percent increase last year, with the islands of Crete and Cephalonia the bigger winners.
- Some hotels reported a 40 percent occupancy over the Easter holidays, a rather low occupancy.
- President Patellis of the Hellenic National Tourism Organization has set a new, high record for almost constant travelling abroad to promote tourism to Greece.
- Parallel to this the HNTO has distributed a record (in size and numbers) of fax press releases in the past few months.
- Concentrating on youngsters Carnival Cruises has expectations to host some 400,000 children on its cruises in 2003.

2003 is a crucial year
The Easter holidays, Western and Orthodox, herald the start of the summer tourist season. And, although the season has started with even greater uncertainty than last year's - which, after all followed the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States - there is cause for reserved optimism. With the Iraq war decided and Europe buoyant at its expansion, there is a small undercurrent of optimism running through the Greek tourism industry. According to the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), there are encouraging signs from several markets, both old markets with an established stream of arrivals and new ones that are slowly being opened as a result of efforts by both private and public sectors.
From every perspective, 2003 will be a difficult year. Although Greece will gradually move more and more into the international spotlight as the date of the 2004 Olympic Games approaches, statistically speaking, the year preceding the Olympics has never been a banner year for tourism for the host city. Greece, however, is different in one important respect from previous hosts such as Barcelona or Sidney because tourism to Greece is not concentrated in greater Athens but on the islands of the Aegean and the Ionian.
Nonetheless, 2003 is a crucial year. It is the season when Greece will be judged. While they are enjoying Greece's sun and beaches, visitors will also be - perhaps subconsciously - evaluating services and standards. "Can Greece handle the Olympics?" is a question that will definitely be on the mind of every tourist who visits Greece this year.
In April, shortly before the Easter holidays, Greece was stunned by a terrible tragedy: a highway accident in which a truck carrying processed timber slammed into a coach, killing 21 high school students returning from a field trip. From the preliminary investigation, it was evident that the accident was the result of a series of lapses in safety regulations and infractions from the moment the truck was loaded. Sadly, it is still beyond humankind's reach to eliminate road accidents - just as it is impossible to eliminate rail, boat, or airplane accidents - but it is well within our reach to do as much to prevent such accidents from occurring.
Tragedy is, unfortunately, part of life. There are accidents that are simply freakish occurrences or quirks of fate. But there are too many others that could have been prevented. The recent bus accident at the Vale of Tempe is nothing more than a series of "if onlys..."
But what is clear is that we have a responsibility, first and foremost to ourselves, to see that high standards are maintained at every level of endeavor. Good service is more than just a smile: it is rigid adherence to safety regulations and insistence on high standards of quality that go beyond cosmetic touches and niceties. For example, hotel guests will judge their accommodations both according to the quality of construction as well as the decoration of the rooms; for coach passengers, service means a driver who is pleasant but also complies with the traffic code. It is on these standards that Greece will be judged, especially this year when it will be under constant and close scrutiny.

Hellenic Travelling

Russia set for Greek Week in June
Greek businessmen will have an opportunity to promote their products and services on the Russian market through the Greek Week 2003 trade fair to be held in St Petersburg next month.
The fair, scheduled June 11-15, is organized in the framework of the collaboration between the Greek trade show organizer ATOY A.E. and the Russian MAG EXPO. It is expected to get a boost from an official visit to Russia by Prime Minister Costas Simitis for the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of the founding of St Petersburg.
During Greek Week 2003, emphasis will be placed on forging cooperative agreements and partnerships between Greek and Russian companies through exports, joint ventures, or other projects.

Poros hosts international yachting symposium
Marine tourism was the focus of the second International Yachting Symposium held on the Saronic island of Poros from May 11 to May 15.
The symposium was organized jointly by the Hellenic Association of Leisure Craft Owners (EPEST) and the Association of Hellenic Yacht Brokers (ESMET), and hosted by the Municipality of Poros. It was organized by iForce Communications and sponsored by Showboats International magazine.
This year's event built on the success of the first symposium, which was held at the Flisvos Marina in Athens last year and drew over 100 participants from France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K., and the United States.

Greek hoteliers call for measures to bolster tourism
Greek hoteliers have called on the government to allocate sufficient funds for promoting Greece abroad to offset the negative effects of the war in Iraq.
In a press statement, the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers expressed its concern over the cumulative effect of the pressures on the tourism industry in the last two years and called on the government to take effective measures to bolster the Greek tourism industry.
In addition to a promotional campaign, the hoteliers called on the government to introduce measures that will enhance companies' cash flow and bolster employment during this tourism crisis. They also called for a reduction in the taxes levied on tourism and more favorable terms for businesses that invest in upgrading their businesses.

Greece eyes Polish tourists
Ioannis Patelis, head of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) recently travelled to Warsaw for meetings with his Polish counterpart, members of the Polish cabinet, and local tour operators as part of a concerted program to increase the number of tourists from Poland.
Patelis also discussed ways of promoting Greece among the sizeable Polish-American community.
In 2002, 250,000 Poles came to Greece for holidays, compared to an estimated 200,000 tourist arrivals from Poland in 2001. Polish officials believe this number could increase in 2003 as the flow of Polish holidaymakers towards Turkey and similar destinations has been stemmed by the aftereffects of the war in Iraq.
Wooing Polish tourists is part of an EOT strategy to attract visitors from the ten countries that will be joining the European Union in May 2004.

Tropical Hotel reopens after renovation
The Tropical Hotel, which is located on Leoforos Posidonos in the Athens seaside suburb of Alimos, has reopened for business following extensive renovation and refurbishment.
Classed as a boutique hotel, the Tropical Hotel now has nine suites with hydromassage facilities, internet access, and other amenities. In addition to a stunning view of the Saronic Bay, guests also enjoy personalized care in intimate surroundings.
The hotel has a swimming pool, bar, internet cafe, and restaurant that can accommodate up to 56 diners.

New Tarom routes to Black Sea
Plotin Air has announced three new flights each week between Athens and the Black Sea resort of Costanza.
The flights are on Tarom Airlines, which is represented in Greece by Plotin.
Daily flights between Athens and Bucharest are also offered on Boeing 737-300/700 aircraft, while the airline also offers five flights each week between Thessaloniki and Bucharest.
The Costanza route will bring the number of flights between Athens and Romania to a total of ten per week.

EOT discusses cooperation with Workers' Guild
Ioannis Patelis, president of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) met with the board of the Workers' Guild and travel industry representatives to discuss "social tourism," or reduced rate holiday packages provided through the Workers' Guild to pensioners and families with low incomes.

Carnival in the Caribbean
Carnival Conquest, one of the new additions to the Carnival Cruise fleet, will be cruising the Caribbean this season. Launched last October, the cruise liner will sail from New Orleans on seven-day cruises of the western Caribbean.
The Carnival Conquest was built at the Fincantieri Shipyards in Italy. It is the largest cruise liner in the Carnival fleet and has a capacity of 2,974 passengers. Sixty percent of the ship's cabins have sea views and most of these have private balconies. The 952-foot ship has 22 bars and lounges, volleyball and basketball courts, boutiques, a fitness center, spa, four swimming pools, internet cafe, sushi bar, and many more amenities on its thirteen decks.
Amphitrion travel is the agent for Carnival in Greece.

Amphitrion opens NEW branch
Travel agency Amphitrion has opened a new branch office at 5 Leoforos Syngrou in Athens. The new office will house the operations to support airlines that the agency represents in Greece, such as US Airways. Company representatives said the new branch office was merely an expansion of the agency's existing operations.
"The primary goal of our new office is to maintain the high level of service that we offer our customers in the field of airline representation," said K. Mitsiou, president of the Amphitrion Group.
Senior representatives of US Airways were on hand at the opening to brief travel agents about the airline's services.
Amphitrion also represents Luxair, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Airzena-Georgian Airlines.

EOT seeks feedback on promotion campaign
"Athens, Attica: A new point of view," is the promotional slogan that the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) will be use to promote greater Athens as a tourist destination in its new campaign.
An EOT press statement said the media kit had been sent to local and regional authorities, as well as hoteliers, travel agents, and other trade groups for information.
The media campaign will be built around radio and television spots as well as billboard advertising.

Energy conservation and tourist industries
The adoption of renewable energy sources in tourist-related industries was discussed at a one-day conference on technical support for tourist enterprise organized jointly the Center for Renewable Energy Sources and the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT).
Addressing the conference opening, EOT chief Ioannis Patelis said that wind power, photovoltaic systems, and solar heaters were among the environment-friendly technologies available for use in hotels and related businesses.
The conference aimed to familiarize hotel owners and businessmen with European Union programs such as HOTRES devised to encourage the tourism sector to adopt renewable energy sources.
Under the EU program, hotels can receive subsidies covering between 25 and 40 percent of the cost of adopting environment-friendly energy sources. Tax credits and subsidies are also offered to encourage hotels to produce power using mild energy sources such as wind or solar power.

Grande Bretagne REOPENS after extensive renovation
The Grande Bretagne Hotel, a downtown Athens landmark, is open for business again after undergoing an eighteen-month, 70-million-euro, top-to-bottom renovation.
The revamped Grande Bretagne has 290 new rooms, 35 suites, plus Presidential and Royal suites. Since reopening in late March, 224 rooms have been operational, while the rest will be ready by the end of May.
The Grand Bretagne's ballroom and meeting rooms have also been renovated. GB Corner, a popular haunt of politicians, will now operate as a brasserie, while Alexander's Bar and the cafe-restaurant Winter Garden have also been updated. The Pool Bar and Athens Panorama on the hotel rooftop will open at the end of May, offering patrons a stunning view of the Acropolis.
One new addition to the hotel's amenities is the fully-equipped fitness spa, which includes an indoor heated swimming pool.
Lampsas Hotel Enterrprises S.A. have a controlling interest in the Grand Bretagne; it recently renewed its management contract with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. for 25 years.

Greece to promote religious tourism
The Finance Ministry has approved credits totaling 1,950,000 euros to support a Development Ministry plan to promote religious tourism in Greece. The credits have been earmarked for restoration works at religious sites, such as the Panayia Poretsou Monastery which will use the monies to renovate its guesthouses for pilgrims.
Monies totaling 4,600,000 euros have been budgeted for infrastructure improvements to support religious tourism, an alternate form of tourism promoted by the Development Ministry and EOT to bolster the tourism industry by extending the season.

Insurance carriers advise hotels
The Union of Greek Insurance Carriers recently presented its view on insurance programs for hotels.
The proposals, which spanned a wide range of coverage types, were outlined by Dimitris Patras, chairman of the union's subcommittee on civil liability. Patras emphasized the need for hoteliers to safeguard their assets with appropriate insurance.

Best Western initiates contacts with travel agents
Representatives of Best Western Hotels worldwide paid more than 11,000 visits to travel agencies as part of a company outreach program to forge closer cooperation.
In Greece, Best Western staff made "thank you" calls to travel agents with whom the hotel has worked with through the year. The contacts were made during the last week of March.
As part of the program, Best Western Greece honored I. Evangelou, president of the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA) during a one-day conference on "Tourism and Forms of Cooperation."

HATTA conference underscores need for cooperation
Travel agents urged enterprises in the tourism sector must work together and develop synergies and cooperation to enhance the prospects for the Greek tourism industry's growth.
"The current confluence of international developments and the crisis that has affected, among others, the tourism and travel sector, underscores the need for synergies, especially in Greece where [such cooperation] is still in a primitive stage," said the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA) in a statement.
The statement was issued at the end of a one-day conference on "Tourism and Modes of Cooperation" organized by HATTA and the Kalofolias Publishing Group in Athens.
Key policy advisors to the government as well as representatives of the tourism industry addressed the conference. Representatives of foreign chains and multinationals also made presentations on cooperative ventures that have been adopted by their companies.
The conference sessions focused on a range of issues, from global trends in tourism to strategic planning for the tourism sector.
Bernard Suar, head of the sales for Selectour, outlined the business model created by his company, which is the largest multipartner tourism enterprise in France. He called on Greek businesses to adopt similar models. Carol Marriott, general manager of Best Western Hellas, described her company's organization structure, noting that this has led to a 35 percent increase in bookings. Brank Krasojevic, president of the association of Serbian and Montenegrin tour operators, meanwhile, emphasized the need for closer and more substantive cooperation between tourism enterprises in the Balkans.
Stavros Andreadis, president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), said that tourism was a relatively new sector in Greece and is showing all the signs of a child that has had a growth spurt. Businesses, he said, were not prepared for this sudden growth, while the state remains trapped by outdated policies that hamper its ability to react to the new conditions.
Georgos Vernikos, vice president of the Union of Greek Leisure Craft Owners, emphasized the need for encouraging entrepreneurship, as this was the dominant trend in Europe. He also noted that prerequisites for cooperation between private and public sector are adherence were transparency, honesty, and a genuine willingness to cooperate.
The closing session was devoted to the synergies and cooperation made fostered by programs outlined in the European Union's Community Support Framework. Nikolas Diakoulakis, the Development Ministry's special secretary for competition, made the principal presentation. Other panelists included city and regional government officials.

Additional funds approved for social tourism
The government has approved an additional 1.5 million euros to support social tourism programs.
The prime minister announced the additional funding during his address to the general assembly of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE). The funds will provide grants and subsidies to pensioners and other low-income groups for holidays in all regions of Greece during the low season - that is, the months of May, June, September, and October.
The Greek National Tourism Organization, meanwhile, said that it had extended the program for one month, through the end of October.
Information about social tourism programs and eligibility is available through the Workers' Guild.

Hoteliers elect board
Vassilis Minaidis was elected chairman of the board of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers in late March. Spyros Divanis was elected first vice president, while Dimitris Karalis and Manolis Tripakis were elected second and third vice presidents, respectively. Gerasimos Kaligeros will serve as secretary. Nikos Poulios was elected alternate secretary and treasurer.
Also elected to the serve as members of the federation's board were: Nikos Pouliou, Andreas Andreadis, Spyros Galiatsatos, Aristotelis Thomopoulos, Konstantinos Kaloutsakis, Konstantinos Levendis, and Vassilis Plevris.

Patras to host 'Bridges 2003' in June
Bridges 2003, an annual conference on the economic development of western Greece, will be held at the University of Patras conference center on June 27-28.
The conference agenda was discussed recently at a meeting of representatives of the municipalities of Patras, Andirrio, Nafpaktos, and Rio as well as representatives of the Achaia and Aetoloakarnania prefectures.
This year's "Bridges" conference will focus on infrastructure and development in western Greece; new technologies and regional growth; the environment; tourist development; and culture.

EOT at Moscow trade show
Twenty-five Greek exhibitors joined the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) in its pavilion at the 10th international Moscow tourism show, MIIT, in late March.
The EOT chief also held follow up meetings with local tour operators as well as tour operators from Cyprus, Bulgaria, China, Romania, and Turkey.
Officials say the prospects for tourist arrivals from Russia are quite auspicious.

Tsohadzopoulos: Crisis limited to war's duration
Development Minister Akis Tsohadzopoulos said the war in Iraq will not have an affect on tourism.
"The problem with tourism exists only during this period. For March and April, we see a drop in reservations, which is natural as there is a war," he said in an interview on "Today with Anna," a morning current affairs show on the private Mega television. "Of course, this is not high season. There were bookings, now they are fewer. But most business starts after May, and we don't project a drop in bookings for the summer. Bookings for May and June and so on have their regular pace, we don't have a problem there."
Tsohadzopoulos said that the government had committed to increase promotion and advertising for tourism.
"Today, the advertising campaign is running regularly in Europe, in the whole world. Simply, we did not design a new one because it is illogical, as everyone agrees, during a war to advertise."
He added that once the uncertainty over the length of the war was over, that an agreement had been reached with European tour operators for additional advertising.
"We expect this will begin in mid-April so that with intense advertising we will be able to cover the deficit that we say in the first three or four months," said Tsohadzopoulos. "I believe that the average for the year will even out for this period. But we have also taken measures to support social tourism during this period. The Labor Ministry and our ministry has increased the funding for social tourism for now."

Patelis honored in Moscow
Ioannis Patelis, president of the Greek National Tourism Organization, was presented with an honorary degree from Moscow's Peoples Friendship University during a recent visit to the Russian capital.
The unveiling of the "Olympic medalist," a copy of a well-known statue presented by EOT to the university also took place during the ceremony.
Following the presentation of the honorary degree, Patelis delivered a lecture on tourism in the first decade of the 21st century.

British Airways appoints Greek as regional manager
Vassilis Dallaris has been appointed as the regional manager for the eastern Mediterranean, British Airways has announced.
It said Dallaris would be responsible for six countries in the eastern Mediterranean: Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Turkey, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Dallaris joined British Airways in 1973 and has been regional sales manager since 1998.

HATTA to study alternative tourism prospects
The Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA) has appointed a working group to study problems and prospects of so-called alternative tourism. The group will report on its findings and make recommendations for an institutional framework to develop forms of alternative tourism.

Tender for ecotourism information system
The Development Ministry's General Secretariat for Tourism has issued a tender for informational material and tools to support its ecotourism program.
The tender calls for the development of tools to inform and promote ecotourism in Greece through a web portal, CD-ROM, interactive information kiosks and events aimed at highlighting ecotourism and the Greek environment. The program will be implemented in the six Olympic cities - Athens, ancient Olympia, plus Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, and Iraklio. The deadline for submitted tenders was May 14.

Workers' Guild supports domestic tourism
The Workers' Guild (Ergatiki Estia) will subsidize 320,000 coupons totaling 23.4 million euros to support social tourism this year, the guild's president Yiannis Papamihail said in a speech at the annual Tourism Panorama show in Piraeus.
He said an additional 45,000 free vouchers for short winter holidays totaling eight million euros will be allocated to eligible applicants in the greater Athens area.
The Workers' Guild runs several holiday programs for pensioners and workers on low incomes. These include a Cyprus package as well as alternative tourism and ecotourism programs.

MPT signs deal with Lithuania
Mediterranean Partners Travel has signed an agreement with the Lithuanian Tourism Association's State Department of Tourism to be its exclusive representative in Greece.
The agreement was signed in Vilnus on the sidelines of Vivattour 2003, the first annual tourism workshop organized in Lithuania.

Sportius makes dynamic entry into sports tourism sector
Sportius Hospitality S.A. aims to become establish itself as a leader in sports tourism, a new and growing subsector of the specialized tourism.
Sportius Hospitality was formed through the merger of two larger tour operators from Greece and Cyprus, Amphitrion and MIBS. Constantine Mitsiou is president of Amphitrion. MIBS's president is Markos Siapanis.
In an interview with Travelling News, Mitsiou, said that the 2004 Olympic Games are a challenge for Greece and that Sportius Hospitality is the first sports tourism company in Greece.
"The Olympics are a great opportunity because they create the conditions for development, investment, and promotion. In this context, Sportius Hospitality, which has considerable experience in the field of sports tourism and is staffed with experienced and highly trained personnel, is ready to meet this challenge."
He said that the company's plans to end with the Games' close but that the Olympics would actually become a springboard for developing sports tourism in Greece.
He said that developing programs around the Winter Olympics in Turin as well as the 2008 Games in Beijing were also included in the company's plans.
According to Mitsiou, Sportius Hospitality is the largest hospitality agent for the 2004 Games as it will manage accommodations in two luxury cruise liners totaling 1,600 cabins as well as 2,500 hotel beds for the period. It will also operate as the official and exclusive hospitality agent and official ticket agent for the National Olympic Committees of Russia, Ukraine, and Cyprus.
Sportius Hospitality recently signed an agreement with the Athens 2004 organizing committee concerning the two cruise liners. It is the largest hospitality agreement signed by the committee to date. The cruise liners will be used to accommodate members of the Olympic Family.
The MS Oosterdam has a capacity of 1,848 guests. It has ten decks and ample common spaces. The MS Rotterdam has a capacity of 1,316 guests.
Sportius Hospitality has a network of 20 private offices, cooperation, and representatives in over 50 countries worldwide. It also has a wholly-owned fleet of 32 luxury coaches in Greece and two luxury yachts.

More tourists from Belgium
Tourist arrivals from Belgium have increased by 16.4 percent, compared to decreases of nine and seven percent, respectively, in the number of Belgian tourists visiting Turkey and Italy, the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) said in a statement.
Quoting Belgian tourist arrivals for 2003, it said that this was the first time in three years that Greece edged Turkey in bookings from Belgium.
Demand from Belgian tourists is so high that during the Easter break, tour operators have added six extra flights to Kos, Corfu, and Crete.

EOT studies completed
The first phase of a business plan for Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) offices abroad has been completed, EOT said in a statement.
It also said that nine of eleven assigned development reports for greater Athens and the Greek provinces had been received and would be presented at the end of April.

Blue Star reports passenger rise on Hania line
Blue Star Ferries has reported a 44.93 percent increase in passenger traffic on its Piraeus-Hania route in March over the previous year.
The company said that in March, Blue Star 2 carried a total of 27,798 passengers, 2,099 cars, and 313 markets. These figures, it said, represent market percentages of 41.86, 39.08, and 8.58 percent respectively.

Government to amend law on ski centers
Development Undersecretary Dimitris Georgakopoulos has proposed to amend key sections of the Development Law regarding ski centers.
Georgakopoulos, who has the tourism brief, is proposing changes in the criteria that ski centers must meet to be eligible for the 35 percent government subsidy.
Ski centers can be built either as independent sports facilities or with a unit offering accommodations. Ski centers must be located at altitudes of at least 1,500 meters above sea level and must have the right to use the land on which the slopes will be created for a period of at least fifty years.

EOT hosts meeting on tourism promotion
"Tourism and Advertising: the internet and related activities" was the topic of an international conference hosted by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) at its offices in early April.
A similar conference was also organized in the Ionian islands.
Participants at the Athens meeting were drawn from the private and public sectors. Discussion topics focused on different modes and markets for promoting tourism.

Tsohadzopoulos highlights needs for quality
Greece needs to produce a high quality, modern tourism product in order to exploit its relative advantages, Development Minister Akis Tsohadzopoulos told Parliament.
Tsohadzopoulos, whose portfolio includes tourism, was speaking during a debate on the privatization of the casino on Mount Parnitha.
He said the government's efforts were geared towards supporting private initiative in tourism aimed at making such enterprises more productive and thus more competitive with other European countries.
"Investments totaling 200 billion drachmas are being made through the total of projects that are being privatized through Hellenic Tourism Properties (ETA) through international tenders so that they can be properly and rationally exploited in a way that will ensure their future operation," he said.
Tsohadzopoulos defended the privatization procedure followed for the casino.
"To those who speak of a 'fire sale', I emphasize that the contract provides for a total payment of 30 billion drachmas in cash...The hotel is being renovated, the casino will be contained in a single building, and an infrastructure is being created that will be used as a hospitality area during the Olympic Games," he said.

Lycabettus Hill upgrades planned
Hellenic Tourism Properties (ETA), the real estate arm of the Greek National Tourism Organization, and the City of Athens have announced a joint program to improve Lycabettus Hill and its parks.
The cooperation agreement was announced at a joint conference held by Development Minister Akis Tsohadzopoulos, whose portfolio includes tourism, Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni, and ETA managing director Anastasios Homenidis.
Under the agreement, ETA will provide two million euros this year for physical improvements, and will also provide up to 250,000 euros annually for maintenance, cleaning, and security.

Balkan travel agents form association
Balkan travel agents have joined forces to create the Balkan Federation of Associations of Tourism and Travel Agents. The founding agreement was signed at the offices of the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA), and the federation's headquarters will be in Athens.
Federation members include trade associations in the travel sector from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Turkey.
The federation's goal is to aid in developing tourism within the region covered by federation members.
Yiannis Evangelou, HATTA's president, was elected president of the Balkan federation. Basaran Ulusoy of Turkey's TURSAB, was elected vice president along with Bulgaria's Nelie Sandalska.
Also serving on the board as Enver Mehmenti of Albania's ATAA, Aresenie Janevski of FYROM's ATAM, and Brank Krasojevic of Serbia-Montenegro's YUTA.

Hotel managers federation elect new board
Yiorgos Kanonis was elected president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hotel Managers (PODIX) at the federation's recent meeting in Iraklio, Crete.
Also elected to the board were: Georgos Matsingas and Panayiotis Nicolaidis, vice presidents; Nikos Houlias, general secretary; Nikos Lendaris, treasurer; and members Nikos Faragoulitakis, Yiannis Simos, Zissis Papastathopoulos, and Nikos Tsiganos.

Restaurateurs demand end to municipal tax
Greek restaurants have called on the government to abolish the two and five percent municipal taxes as part of a series of measures aimed at bolstering their sector. It also acted that restaurants be exempt from paying royalties for background music played in restaurants.
A statement issued at the end of the general meeting of the Panhellenic Federation of Restaurateurs and Related Professions (POESE) said the meeting had adopted a resolution calling on the government to allow their sector to participate in the European Union's Community Support Framework programs.
The resolution also called for the government to recognize the so-called "family wage" to cover family members that work in a family-owned restaurant and devise some form of certification for the industry.
It also called for funding for programs to train employees and owners in food safety issues.

Ministry approves competitiveness proposals
The Development Ministry has approved seventy more applications for funding to be included in Competitiveness and Qualitative Upgrades program.
In a statement, the ministry said that approved proposals included two from the Crete Development Organization, 51 from the European Programs Management Organization of the Ionian and Western Greece, and 17 submitted by ELANET.
Funding for all seventy proposals totals 1,901,115 euros.

Iraklio airport master plan ready
A "master plan" for the Iraklio airport prepared by the Athens Polytechnic University will be completed by the end of April, Transport and Communications Undersecretary Manolis Stratakis said in an interview with "Business and Travel."
He cited the need for expanding Iraklio's international airport, which has the highest number of passengers in summer, including charter arrivals.

Greek innkeepers seek tax relief
The Confederation of Room Rental Entrepreneurs has petitioned the government for tax relief to offset losses incurred from the crisis in tourism.
In a letter to the Finance Ministry, the confederation's board said that 40,000 businesses had been pushed into desperation because of mass cancellations by tour operators because of the war in Iraq.

Snowflake introduces flights to Athens
The Scandinavian airline Snowflake has introduced regular flights from Athens to Stockholm and Copenhagen as from early April.
The low-cost carrier flies to fifteen European destinations. It will offer two flights weekly-Wednesdays and Saturdays-between Athens and Stockholm and three flights weekly-Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays-between Athens and Copenhagen.

Chilean ambassador
Chile's ambassador to Greece, Marcia Covarrubias, received the Association of Women in Tourism.
During the meeting, a sort documentary on tourism and ecotourism in Chile was shown to highlight the country's resources.

Expro draws crowds
More than 40,000 hoteliers, businessmen, and professionals from Greece and abroad attended the two Expro trade shows held in Athens earlier this year. The 10th International Expro, one of the largest tourism shows, drew 300 exhibitors from 25 countries. The 3rd International Expro Clean attracted 150 exhibitors.
The hotel unions of Thassos, Siteia, Trikala, and Aetoloakarnania won a 12,000 euros in Expro's annual grant lottery, which has disbursed 94,000 euros to 32 regional associations over the last few years.

Helios hotels win food award
Helios hotels have won three distinctions for their restaurants from the annual Chrysos Skoufos (Golden Cap) awards presented by Athinorama magazine.
Chef Yiannis Baxevanis and the Dionysus restaurant in the Elounda Beach hotel received the first Golden Cap for best restaurants outside Athens. Dionysus also won a special award for best Greek cuisine.
Chef Thony Tho Thang received the fifth Golden Cap for best restaurants outside Athens.

Oenohoros available for events
Located in the midst of the 350-stremma vineyards of the Euharis Estate, Oenohoros is available for receptions and other events for 50 to 400 people. Wine tours and tastings can also be arranged in conjunction with any special events at the estate, which is located on the outskirts of Megara.
Facilities include meeting rooms decorated with paintings and sculpture by contemporary Greek artists, a library, and exhibition area. There is also a church on the grounds.

Thai Airways protests travel warning
Theodoros Mantzios, regional marketing director of Thai Airways, has written to the Health Ministry to protest the inclusion of Thailand in an informal health warning about the recent outbreak of severe respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
In his letter, he noted that Thailand had not been included in the World Health Organization bulletin on SARS.

P.O.E.T. hails premier's remarks on marketing
The Panhellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises has called on the government to seek better ways for fostering cooperation between private and public sectors in tourism.
In a statement issued in response to the prime minister's remarks at the annual meeting of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), P.O.E.T. hailed the government's commitment to promoting tourism, as well as the premier's proposal for creating a joint public-private company to market Greece abroad.
P.O.E.T. said that the proposal to create an interministerial board on tourism was a positive step, but warned that such a committee could not replace an independent tourism ministry.

Dodecanese islands adopt action plan
The Dodecanese islands have initiated an action plan aimed at opening new tourist markets. The plan, which was presented at the Tourist Panorama in Piraeus, calls for promoting the region in at least one new potential foreign market each year and publishing pamphlets in languages of emerging tourist markets such as Russia and China. The plan also calls for cooperation among the Dodecanese islands in promoting the region.

From My Notebook, By Connie Soloyanis
- As anyone could have predicted one immediate aftermath of the start of the war in Iraq was a pronounced downward trend in international tourism. One effect has been more than a 50 percent downward slide in major hotel bookings in general, and naturally, an equally downward trend in airline travel.
- Japan Airlines, for one, had some 20,000 cancellations within a period of one month.
- Several other international airlines have been making drastic cutbacks in routings and staff.
- Airlines are also further threatened by skyrocketing fuel prices.
- One report is that airlines in general have recorded some $30 billion in losses since September 11, that ‘day of infamy’.
- Parallel to all this there has been a general raise in airfares.
- Israel has suffered the biggest downward trend in tourism over the past two years due to the continuing violence.
- The Caribbean, i.e. Bahamas, is the rare region which has had a boom in increased tourism over the last two years - mainly because many Americans choose not to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
- In the face of a catastrophic tourist year Greece maintains the highest airport tax in the European Union, presently at 70 Euros. Whereas Turkey, which enjoyed a rise in tourism in 2002, has repealed practically all levies on tourists.
- Royal Olympic Cruises has signed an agreement to have three of its cruise ships serve as floating hotels in the port of Piraeus for the Olympic Games of 2004, which portends a poor cruising summer next year.
- Thailand, which has enjoyed booming international tourism, including from Greece, is drooping as well. Rather than the war in Iraq been at fault, it is the mysterious and deadly flu from China.
- Greece has the lowest rate of residents who take holidays, according to a survey by the European Union. Only some nine percent, or about one million people, go abroad every year.
- Greek travel representatives attending the annual ITB in Berlin report that the Greek pavilion was among the least visited at the show.
- Incidentally, Berlin is planning a promotion campaign to become recognized as ‘the gay capital of Europe’ - which admittedly gay Mayor Klaus Wowerwelt claiming his city has the largest gay and lesbian community in Germany, if not the EU.
- The Le Meridien Budapest Hotel has won the Five Star Diamond Award given by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, marking the first time a Hungarian hotel has won the prize. The Academy’s judges visit hotels and evaluate them incognito. Those familiar with Hungary's hospitality trade wonder how come the highly popular castle hotels (castles converted into hotels) missed out on the award.
- New York City hotels have introduced new family packages which include no charges for children, and the small ones get a variety of gifts, tours and other goodies as well.
- New York City continues to be the safest city in the U.S.A., with the lowest crime rate of the nation's 25 largest cities.
- An unofficial survey indicates that as many as one third of the Athens Metro passengers may be free loaders - travelling without paying for tickets.