September 2003

Exploit the benefits of the 2004 Games
The peak tourism season is over but it's still too early to be able to accurately conclude whether the summer of 2003 was a "good" or "bad" year for tourism. Early indications suggest that while the season got off to a slow start, the stream of tourist arrivals from abroad picked up towards the middle and end of the season, with a slow, yet steady trickle of visitors continuing through the early autumn.
This trickle of latecomers may not seem significant but it may herald a trend towards a growing interest in Greece as a holiday destination. This trend is also evident in a number of consumer surveys conducted by either specialized industry institutes or media in European countries and the United States. In all of these surveys, Greece is steadily climbing back up the ranks of visitor preferences to reclaim its place in the top 10 global destinations and among the top three European destinations.
What do these surveys show? Certainly, hosting the 2004 Olympics has trained the spotlight on Greece and created "buzz" around Athens and the Greek islands as a tourist destination. As the Games near - and next summer when the Olympics are held in Athens - Greece will move closer into the spotlight and will gain invaluable exposure that will guarantee a steady flow of visitors for several years beyond 2004 just as the 2000 Games in Sydney have generated tremendous global interest in Australia as a tourist destination.
But the Olympic buzz is not enough. Greece's tourist industry must actively seek to exploit the promotional benefits of the 2004 Games. And this activity must begin now, before the Games.
With the peak tourist season behind us, the sector is gearing up for a series of trade shows in Greece and abroad. For Greece, these exhibitions are especially important this year as they are vital for building on travellers' increased interest in Greece. The industry cannot approach these shows with a "business as usual" attitude. To truly showcase Greece as a destination, the Greek National Tourism Organization as well as Greek businesses in the tourism sector must use their imagination to develop promotions that reflect current trends not only in travel but also in lifestyle.
Greece is blessed with an ancient heritage but it must exploit all aspects of Greek culture to attract visitors. The Mediterranean diet, Greece's wealth of flora and fauna, routes tracing religious pilgrimages, sports, and marine tourism are just some themes that can be developed to respond to a growing desire among travellers to seek a more healthful, natural, and spiritual life. The key to attracting tourism is to promote a "Greek experience" that builds on Greece's primary assets - its sun, its islands, its archaeology - but which shows that Greece is so much more.
Hellenic Travelling

Industry marks World Tourism Day with fete
Representatives of Greece's tourism sector joined together to organize a one-day fair on September 27 to celebrate World Tourism Day. Held in Zappeion Park, the fair was organized by the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (ΗΑΤΤΑ) and Panhellenic Association of Maritime and Tourism Staff (PASENT) under the aegis of the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ). The fair culminated in the evening with an official ceremony held in the Zappeion Hall atrium.
In this year's celebration, ΗΑΤΤΑ and PASENT chose to highlight the importance of the human factor in providing high-quality services in the tourism sector. Special focus was also placed on Greek folk culture, including traditional handicrafts, products, and foods.

British Airways joins British university fair
British Airways was a key participant in the annual higher education fair organized in Athens by leading British Universities. The fair, in which more than 40 universities participated this year, was held in at the Athens Hilton on August 30-31 and highlighted undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs as well as opportunities for distance learning.
At the fair, the airline highlighted its special packages and services for Greek university students and their families. During summer, the carrier had four flights daily between Athens and London. Timetables and fares are available online at www.britishairways.com, which passengers can also use to make reservations.

Evharis hosts traditional wine pressing
Wine lovers had a chance to participate in the grape-picking and wine pressing using a traditional, non-mechanized wine press at the Evharis Estate, which hosted a special event to mark this year's grape crop.
The event, held at the Evharis Estate on the first Saturday of September, included demonstrations of traditional dances celebrating the vine harvest.
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.

ΡΑΡ Corp. opens tourism training school in northern Greece
ΡΑΡ Corp, one of the most dynamic companies of northern Greece and among the 100 largest corporations in Greece, has created a school for training in tourist-related industries.
The school, which opened in October, aims at meeting the industry's need for properly trained staff in tourism and travel services by bridging the gap between theoretical and practical training.
The ΡΑΡ Corp. training institute offers courses that lead to a vocational diploma recognized by the Greek state, with the option of following a degree course leading to a Bachelor's degree from the U.S.-based Johnson & Wales University. Courses cover the range of tourism and travel services, with practical training through placement at the company's hotels and catering units.
British apology over tourist behavior
Α leading British tour operator has sent a formal letter of apology to the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) for the behavior of some of its customers at Greek island resorts.
The letter from Andy Tidy, managing director of Club 18-30, was addressed to ΕΟΤ head Ioannis Patellis was prompted by a series of incidents at Faliraki on Rhodes that attracted international media attention as well as at Kavos on Corfu.
"Ι fully understand your concerns regarding the behavior of a minority of holidaymakers - and on this occasion tour operators staff - who not only bring themselves into disrepute, but also British tourists in general and the UK tour operators they have booked with," Tidy wrote in the letter. "Club 18-30 has apologized for the unacceptable behavior of five of its staff in Corfu whose irresponsible actions offended the local community and those who witnessed the events. The actions of this small group of individuals, all of whom have now resigned from the company, are not representative of the company or its staff who are still well aware of the fine line between high spirits and unacceptable behavior."
In a separate letter to Patellis, John Harding, president of the Association of British Travel Agents, also apologized for the "lewd and inappropriate" behavior that "can be very damaging for the image of both the market and our industry."

ΗΑΤΤΑ warns over Faliraki incidents
Greek travel agents have expressed concern over the fallout for Greek tourism from a series of incidents at Greek island resorts prompted by the extreme behavior of young British tourists. Widely reported in the Greek and international media, the raucous behavior at a handful of resorts that cater to pleasure-seeking Britons resulted in the death of one young tourist in a brawl with other Britons.
In a statement, the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (ΗΑΤΤΑ) said that the association had repeatedly emphasized the need for the Greek tourism sector to reorient itself towards "quality tourism" and forms of tourism that "respect, protect, and highlight the natural and cultural environment" of Greece.
ΗΑΤΤΑ appealed to everyone involved in the tourism and travel industries to invest in such forms of tourism since the "possible profits" from trying to lure a small segment of the mass market that purchases packages at "humiliatingly low prices" creates, in turn, "a series of problems linked to behavior inappropriate for [Greek] morals and customs and which are not a profitable investment but also undermine the future prospects of [Greece's] tourism."
The association noted that the global crisis in the sector should not be used as an excuse by foreign tour operators for adopting marketing methods that promote this type of holidays. ΗΑΤΤΑ added that it had written to the Association of British Travel Agents (ΑΒΤΑ) to express its discomfort at the tactics used by some British tour operators. The statement added that ΗΑΤΤΑ would continue its efforts aimed at fostering the development of "quality tourism."

ΕΟΤ inspects Attica hotels
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) will step up its regular inspections of hotels in the greater Athens area and Attica.
In a brief statement, ΕΟΤ said that the inspections would place special emphasis on facilities for handicapped visitors and cleanliness of hotel swimming pools.
ΕΟΤ said that ongoing inspections of Class C and Class D hotel had resulted in 15 fines being levied against 15 establishments in these categories.

ΕΟΤ campaign in Russia
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) plans an aggressive promotional campaign in Russia tied to the 2004 Olympic Games to be hosted by Athens.
In a press release, ΕΟΤ said that ΕΟΤ had devised media campaigns for four high-circulation newspapers, including Izvestia, with news stand sales of 234,000, and Pravda, with news stand sales of 410,000. The Izvestia campaign, for example, will run from September through December and feature three special issues with three-page spreads on travel to Greece. The Pravda campaign is built around a four-page insert on Greece to be included in the newspaper's weekly television guide.
Campaigns will also run in popular sports weekly and a weekly magazine.
ΕΟΤ also plans to publish a special pull-out section on Greece to be published during the International Tourism Fair held in Moscow in October.
The Russian newspaper and magazine campaign has been budgeted at 68,600 euros.

ΕΟΤ rewards pair of Dutch tourists
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) rewarded two tourists from the Netherlands with a week's free vacation for returning a wallet containing cash, passports, and other personal items.
The pair was guests at the Tina Marie hotel in Hersonisos, a seaside resort in northern Crete, east of Iraklio. In a statement, ΕΟΤ said that it had decided to reward them for their good deed in an attempt to redress the negative impression that foreign tourists at such resorts have unfairly gained as a result of the bad behavior of a minority of pleasure-seeking tourists.

Greece ranks 8th in meeting travel
Efforts to develop Greece as a destination for conferences and conventions appear to have begun paying off as Greece now figures among the top ten destinations for meeting travel.
Α survey by the British magazine Meeting and Incentive Travel (ΜΙΤ) ranked Greece eight in the short haul by country by delegate nights. The survey is based on a sample of 155,437 delegate nights at conferences.
The ΜΙΤ survey comes on the heels of an ΕΙΒΤΜ report released in Geneva which said that Greece, especially Athens, is expected to show the greatest increase in convention tourism.
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ), which publicized the survey results, attributed Greece's rise in the rankings to efforts to attract meetings to Greece. Such efforts include the creation of special section dedicated to convention and meeting travel in ΕΟΤ's London branch.

WTO issues global tourism barometer
The World Tourism Organization is projecting a slight improvement in global tourism and travel data for the second half of 2003 after a poor start to the year as a result of the uncertainty from the war in Iraq and the SARS outbreak.
According to the WTO's "barometer of tourist movement" issued in June, tourism in Europe declined by as much as 30 percent in many countries in February and March, mainly as a result of the Iraq war. Tourist traffic for the first six months of 2003 was also affected by the lingering economic crisis, especially in Germany, which ranks first among European countries in outgoing tourist traffic.
The report said the gap was filled to some degree by a marked increase in the number of Britons taking holidays abroad to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate between the British pound and the euro. Thus, there was a slight rise in tourist arrivals in Spain (3.2 percent) and Italy (1.7 percent), especially in tourists using overland routes. By contrast, tourist arrivals fell in Austria (2.6 percent), Cyprus (10.4 percent), Czech Republic (8.2 percent), Finland (2.3 percent), France (4.2 percent), Hungary (5.8 percent), Israel (15.1 percent), Netherlands (11.3 percent), Poland (8 percent), Portugal (3.1 percent), Switzerland (4.9 percent), and Turkey (11.2 percent).
As far as trends go, the World Tourism Organization noted an increase in the number of holidays organized using internet-based tools and sources rather than through tour operators as well as a rise in bookings for budget airlines. Last minute bookings have also increased as travellers seek to secure the lowest possible prices.

Greece moves up in preferences of U.S. travellers
Greece has edged Switzerland and Spain to climb back into the top ten holiday destinations of American tourists, the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) said in a statement citing a report in the Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Greece was now the tenth most popular destination of American tourists in 2003, climbing four notches from 14th place in 2001 and 2002. The report said that Australia remained the top destination for U.S. holidaymakers, followed by Italy and France. New Zealand, the report said, had also climbed into the top ten, rising from 13th place to seventh place.
Meantime, a report in another leading U.S. daily may help bolster this trend. Given that security has become a primary concern for Americans since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, ΕΟΤ noted that a recent story in the New York Times on high risk destinations did not mention Greece; the U.S. ranked fourth, after Colombia, Israel, and Pakistan, while the U.Κ. ranked 10th on global listings and first in Europe. The risk rankings were based on a report by Wall Market Research.

ΕΟΤ on swimming pool licenses
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) has issued a memorandum on the procedures for obtaining licenses to operate a swimming pool. The memo was released in the wake of the toddler's drowning in late August.
ΕΟΤ clarified that it did not issue licenses for operating swimming pools, but that local government authorities - prefectures and municipalities - had jurisdiction over these licenses.

In-flight promotion campaigns
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) has devised a promotional campaign linked to the in-flight magazines of three leading airlines.
The campaign will run in the in-flight magazines of Lufthansa, Aeroflot, and El-Al. The Lufthansa campaign, which will run for six months starting in November 2003, will highlight destinations on Crete, including Iraklio which is one of four designated Olympic cities. ΕΟΤ will also place ads in ten issues of the Aeroflot in-flight magazine, while the campaign in El-Al's magazine will highlight the Ionian island of Lefkada.
Meantime, ΕΟΤ officials also plan to meet with executives from the Athens International Airport to discuss ways of promoting greater Athens in the airport ahead of next summer's Olympic Games in Athens.

Blue Star sales up 11.6 percent
Blue Star ferries says sales rose by 11.6 percent in the first six months of 2003 compared to the same period of the previous year to reach 52.9 million euros, up from 47.4 million euros in 2002.
The company attributed the rise to the introduction of the Blue Star Paros and Blue Star Naxos on the Cyclades routes and the Blue Star 1 in Dodecanese routes.
It said that in the first six months of 2003, Blue Star's fleet had carried 1,523,520 passengers, up from 984,242 passengers in the period January-June 2002. Vehicle traffic was also up, rising from 144,383 cars in 2002 to 213,207 cars in 2003. But while passenger and vehicle traffic rose by 54.80 and 47.66 percent respectively, the company recorded a slight drop in freight traffic, from 68,366 trucks in the first six months of 2002 to 60,419 in the same period of 2003.

Ρ.Ο.Ε.Τ. petitions government for coach upgrades
The Panhellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises (ΡΟΕΤ) has urged the government to introduce provisions aimed at assisting tour bus owners to upgrade and improve their fleet.
In a letter to Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, whose portfolio includes tourism, ΡΟΕΤ reminded the minister of the government's pledge to provide subsidisies of 3,000 euros per room to hotels that upgrade their facilities ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games as well as government assistance to long-distance KTEL buses. It said that given the aid to KTEL and hotels, association members did not understand why similar financial assistance was not being extended to owners of coaches and tour buses which were also an important element of Greece's tourism infrastructure.

Superfast, Blue Star group sees sales rise in 2003
Epihirisis Attikis S.Α. has reported an increase in sales for the first six months of 2003 to 166.2 million euros from 124.8 million euros in the same period of last year. This year-on-year change represents a 33 percent increase.
The results reflect the operation of the Superfast and Blue Star fleets. The group is active in domestic routes, as well as in the Germany-Finland route in the Baltic, the new Scotland-Belgium route in the North Sea, and the Adriatic.

Greece improves rankings among European holidaymakers
Greece has risen in the preferences of tourists in four very important markets, according to data compiled by the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) from published sources.
In Britain, a survey by Southampton University said Greece was the second most popular holiday destination for U.Κ. tourists after Spain. According to the trade press in France, Greece ranks among the top three travel foreign holiday destinations of French travellers along with Spain and Italy.
Reports from Italy, meanwhile, list Greece at the top of Italian holidaymakers' preferences as a survey published in July ranked Greece second while another survey published in August ranked Greece as the top foreign destination for Italian holidaymakers.
Finally, German travellers rank Greece first - a tie with Italy - as their most popular foreign destination. The rankings are based on a survey of sixty destinations by Zeit and the Innofact market research firm.

ΗΑΤΤΑ protests Australian travel advisory
Greek travel agents strongly protested an travel advisory issued by the Australian government for Australian citizens travelling to Greece.
The Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (ΗΑΤΤΑ) said in a statement that Greece is one of the safest countries in the world for foreign tourists and called on the government to react vigorously to the Australian advisory.
ΗΑΤΤΑ added that for its part it had a sent a letter of protest to its Australian counterpart, AFTA.

Special rates on British Airways
British Airways announced a special promotion for intercontinental flights in September.
The airline offered special rates for flights to New York, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kingston, Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Hong Kong. The rates were valid for flights booked September 5-10 and travel completed September 5-December 15.

Ionian isles at international travel fairs
ΕΤΙΝ, the Ionian islands' tourism enterprise, has designed a promotional campaign aimed at highlighting the Ionian islands as prime holiday destinations.
The campaign's strategy is based on ΕΤΙΝ's participation at fifteen trade fairs through the end of the year, beginning with ΤΤ Warsaw at the end of September. ΕΤΙΝ will also have a booth at Philoxenia in Thessaloniki at the end of October, as well as the World Trade Mart in London, Vakantiebeurs at Utrecht, Ferrien Messe in Vienna, Slovakia Tour in Bratislava, Matka in Helsinki, FITUR in Madrid, Holiday World in Prague, ΒΙΤ in Milan, CBR in Munich, ΙΤΒ in Berlin, BTF in Brussels, Alpe Adria in Ljublana through the end of March.
ΕΤΙΝ also plans to participate in eight more trade fairs through the end of 2004.

Greece popular among tourists from central Europe
Data compiled by the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) on foreign holiday destinations preferred by tourists from eastern Europe show Greece ranks high among travellers' preferences in these countries as well.
Α report in the Cestovatel magazine noted that Greece ranks third among preferences of Slovaks, while reports in the Czech press rank Greece third in Czechs' preferences behind Croatia and Spain. The Polish Tourism Institute ranks Greece third, tied with France, in Polish tourists' preferences behind Poland, Germany, and Czech Republic. Greece also ranks in the top three travel destinations of Hungarian tourists, along with Italy and Croatia.
ΕΟΤ expects additional data on travellers' holiday preferences to be available soon from an extensive survey conducted by the European Travel Commission.

AIEST conference focuses on sports
"Tourism and Sports" was the main theme of the 53rd world congress of the Geneva-based AIEST which represents experts from the travel and tourism industries. The meeting was held in early September at the Divani Apollon Palace and Spa at Kavouri, a seaside resort on the outskirts of Athens.
AIEST last met in Greece in 1976 when its congress was held on the Ionian island of Zakynthos.
Sports tourism is especially important for Greece which, after the 2004 Olympics, will have some of the finest sports facilities in Europe.
Addressing the meeting's opening, Development Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos, whose portfolio includes tourism, said that the Olympics opened "a new relationship between the tourism economy and the economy of sports." He noted that while hosting the Olympic Games was the classic case of forging a link between tourism and sports, Greece would have an opportunity to further exploit this link.
"Α campaign now underway promoting greater Athens, where the 2004 Games will be held, highlights something that is quite important. And that is that in a world where everything is changing, there are some things that never change. One of those is Athens, its culture, the Acropolis."
He said Greece hoped to benefit from mass arrivals after the Olympics and aimed to develop sports tourism as well as other forms of tourism to encourage this anticipated stream of visitors. The minister noted that Athens was not the only city whose sports infrastructure was being improved but that serious upgrades to athletic facilities were underway at four other designated Olympic cities - Thessaloniki, Iraklio, Volos, and Patras.
Speaking later at a joint news conference with Tsohatzopoulos and AIEST officials, ΕΟΤ head Ioannis Patellis said that Greece "aimed at developing sports tourism and exploiting [athletic] facilities for promoting sports tourism."

Insignia launches super yacht
Described as a "floating palace," the 56-meter "Insignia" was launched in September by Insignia Yachts.
The vessel, which ranks among the world's top 100 super yachts, was built at a Greek shipyard. It has super-luxury cabins, as well as facilities like a jacuzzi and beauty salon. Its crew has worked on yachts whose high-profile clients have included show business stars like Mel Gibson and Barbara Streisand.

Blue Star 2 wins passengers' hearts
Blue Star 2 beat the competition on the Piraeus-Hania route in August, garnering a 46.78 percent share of the passenger market and 42.65 percent of the vehicle market. Three other ships operate on the same route.
Blue Star 2 operated 62 sailings to and from Piraeus compared to 99 sailings by all three ships of its competitor Anek Lines.

ΕΟΤ introduces WAP services
The Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ) recently unveiled its new WAP or wireless protocol information service for WAP-enabled cellular phones.
The service is available in Greek, English, and Spanish. First-level menus allow users to view press releases, find the addresses of ΕΟΤ offices, museums, foreign embassies, hotels, and the Hellenic Festival program.

Eurostar expands distribution through Amadeus
Eurostar, the leading high-speed passenger rail company serving the UK, France, and Belgium, has expanded distribution of its rail services through the Amadeus global distribution system, via the same neutral display used by airlines.
"We want to ensure Eurostar services are available to customers through the most effective and wide-reaching channels. We are confident that this partnership with Amadeus will enable us to meet business demand in all corners of the globe," said Alain van West, Eurostar's head of International Sales.
Amadeus travel agents in most countries where Eurostar services are not already available can now view, book, and ticket Eurostar services. Fully integrated into the Amadeus system, Eurostar bookings are made in exactly the same way as a flight, saving time for agencies in addition to increasing their productivity and revenue. Travel agencies can view Eurostar routes alongside flights on the same screen, enabling them to quickly compare rail and air travel options and offer more choice to customers.
Seamless access to bookings goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of high-speed rail with the opening of the new UK fast line that will cut travel time by 20 minutes. London-Paris journey time will also be reduced to 2 hours 35 minutes, London-Brussels to 2 hours 20 minutes and London-Lille to just 1 hour 40 minutes.
Eurostar's presence on GDS will be particularly beneficial to corporations and business travel agencies, who now have a straightforward means of accessing the rail company's hassle-free city-centre-to-city-centre business fares. In the leisure market, Amadeus travel agencies will be able to book popular European itineraries, combining long-haul flights from Eurostar's nine interline airline partners (including Virgin Atlantic, US Airways and Korean Air) - with short-haul travel on Eurostar.
Amadeus pioneered the offer rail services on the GDS air display. Amadeus travel agencies processed over 80 million rail bookings in 2002 and the company currently distributes the services of 18 of the world's leading railway companies, including French SNCF, Amtrak, DeutscheBahn, and the Association of UK Train Operating Companies (ATOC)..

World Heritage Cities symposium on Rhodes
Rhodes hosted the seventh international symposium of Unesco World Heritage Cities, held September 23-28.
The four-day conference brought together mayors and representatives of 188 cities that have been recognized by Unesco as World Heritage Cities. Α separate youth forum was also held on the conference sidelines for youth ages 16-19 years who were chosen to present papers on preserving historic sites and cities.
The conference's theme was "Keeping Heritage Alive." The meeting was organized in conjunction with ICCROM, the international center for conservation and restoration of monuments.

Aegean, Air One sign code-share agreement
Aegean Airlines has concluded an agreement on code sharing with the Italian carrier Air One thus expanding its network in Italy.
Under the agreement, Aegean Airlines will now have access to five destinations within Italy, with Rome as its hub. These destinations are: Turin, Genoa, Venice, Milan, and Palermo. Air One passengers, meantime, will be able to travel on the Greek carrier's twice-daily flights linking Athens and Rome.
Aegean Airlines passengers on code-share flights with Air One will use the Air One check-in counters and other facilities at Rome's Fiumicino Airport.
Air One is Italy's second largest carrier, with over 1,000 scheduled flights to 20 domestic destinations. The airline has code-share agreements with Lufthansa for the carrier's flights to Frankfurt and Munich, with Air Littoral in France, and with Air Canada for flights to and from Canada.

Helios Hotels win wine award
The Helios Hotels group has been commended by the respected Wine Spectator magazine for its wine list.
The magazine's 2003 Award of Excellence was awarded to the Kohilia and Captain's House restaurants at the group's Grand Resort Lagonissi hotel in Attica and the Blue Lagoon, Dionysos, and Thalassa restaurants at the group's Elounda Bay resort on Crete.
Wine Spectator gave its seal of approval to the wine lists of 3,000 restaurants worldwide. Five of the eight restaurants in Greece mentioned in the magazine were part of the Helios Hotels & Resorts group.

Marine tourism, racing highlighted at AIEST congress
Leading Greek athletes from marine and water sports addressed the 53rd world congress of the Geneva-based AIEST which represents experts from the travel and tourism industries. The congress, held at the Divani Apollon Palace and Spa near Athens in September, focused on the links between tourism and sports.
Former Olympic sailing medalist Ν. Georgopoulos outlined the link between sea sports and tourism, describing packages which would offer holidaymakers an opportunity to combine a sailing holiday with instruction in the sport.
The congress was also addressed by the president of the Hellenic Motoring Club, ELPA, who spoke on the benefits to tourism of the annual Rally Acropolis, which marked its 50th anniversary this year.

Cyclades craftsmen welcome social security pledge
The Federation of Professionals and Crafts in the Cyclades (ΟΕΒΚ) welcomed the government's recent announcement that it intends to lower social security contributions for employers' and employees.
In a statement ΟΕΒΚ hailed the announced by Social Security Undersecretary Rovertos Spyropoulos that employer contributions to the fund would be reduced by 30 percent.
"Finally, some people have begun to realize that social insurance fund problems will not be solved through higher fund contributions or fines, but can only be resolved if there are healthy companies around that employ the necessary staff to increase their productivity," the ΟΕΒΚ statement said.
It added that all that the current system has done is burden small and medium-sized enterprises with debts from fines for non-payment of contributions and this, in turn, has reduced the number of jobs with negative consequences for the Greek economy.

Scandinavians chose Greece for their holidays
Greece is the top foreign holiday destination for Scandinavians, according to a press release issued by the Greek National Tourism Organization (ΕΟΤ).
The release said that Greek destinations accounted for 30 percent of all outgoing tourist traffic from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark this year. It said this percentage was significantly higher than the percentage of the second most popular foreign destination for Scandinavians, Spain.
Broken down by country, Greece is the number one destination for winter and summer vacations among Norwegians and Danes and the second most popular destination, after Spain, for Swedes and Finns.
Finally, ΕΟΤ noted, Greece is the top holiday preference among Scandinavian respondents in surveys.

SKAL marks Olympic countdown with dinner
Deputy Development Minister Dimitris Georgakopoulos and representatives of the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee were on hand at a special dinner organized by SKAL Athens to mark the final countdown to next summer's Olympic Games.
Held in early September, the dinner was an opportunity for tourism professionals to discuss issues related to the 2004 Olympics in an informal atmosphere.

Hoteliers protest new classification scheme
The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers (ΡΟΧ) has issued a statement protesting the government's decision to introduce a new system of classifying hotels and other hospitality establishments.
It said that the legislation reintroducing the use of "stars" and "keys" to rate hotels was submitted to Parliament without prior consultation with hoteliers. It said that hoteliers were being called on to comply with the new classification rules by December 31, with no provision for a transition period to allow hotels to meet the criteria of the new categories. Thus, the statement said, hoteliers would have to comply with classification requirements or be demoted to a lower category than their current classification.
The hoteliers' federation called on the government to rescind the provision and resubmit it only after consultation with the hospitality sector aimed at introducing substantial improvements to its provisions.

China-EU seminar in Athens this December
Athens will host the first international tourism meeting of the European Union and China. The meeting's theme is "The future of tourism in the 21st century" and sessions will focus on "The challenge of China."
The Euro-Chinese Center for Research and Development meeting will be held December 4-5 at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ΕΒΕΑ) building in Athens. It is organized in cooperation with the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (ΗΑΤΤΑ), the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers (ΡΟΧ), and iForce Communications.

From My Notebook. By Connie Soloyanis
*International and domestic scheduled airline traffic, down since September 11, 2001, is now estimated to rise in 2004, according to an industry survey forecast.
*Greece remains among the top holiday destinations for Europeans according to recent surveys. Greece is the number one choice for German, Italians, and Hungarians, second for English and third choice for French.
*It would appear that so-called ╘low-cost╒ airline (Ryanair) may soon replace a “regular” airline (British Airways) as the largest in the world. Ryanair has on order 125 Boeing aircraft for its expansions, while ΒΑ is retrenching.
*British Airways is adding 100 new destinations to its schedule, including such as Nashville, New Orleans and Cincinnati, as the result of a new code-share agreement with American Airlines.
*Booking commercial air flights via the Internet, which has sky rocketed-looms to have new rival: Bookings via cell-phones, which is being developed and seems to have a huge potential.
*U.S. Government armed air marshals, numbering some 5,000, is one serious plan of the government, to increase security for airborne travellers.
*Another plan would have all pilots carrying handguns while flying--as protection against terrorists. Quipsters now offer: “Have gun, can fly”.
*In an unofficial survey, Greece was a very close second to Italy in the payment of bribes to win public contracts. The "fakelo" gains international recognition.
*And, as reported almost everywhere, Athens has become one of the more expensive cities to enjoy.
*Greece was ranked as the tenth most popular travel destination for Americans in the latest Harris poll in the U.S.Α. Australia is the leading choice, with cost not to be considered. Italy is a choice second, most popular choice.
*Tourism to Israeli has virtually disappeared by virtue of fear of terrorism (including on the part of Israelis). The country now ranks as tops as a terrorist target.
*Starwood Hotels now welcomes dog pets as guests in the U.S.Α. and Canada. The chain not only welcomes the pooches, but pampers them as well. There are special dog beds, and in-room dog messages available. Motivation is due to the revelation that there are some 62 million dog owners in the U.S.Α.
*Expectorating---“spitting” to the common folk---has made news in London. Appears that spitting has become a rather common habit on the Underground, and there is a move to eliminate, or at least reduce the volume.
*Foreign visitors to the U.S.Α. will be subject to undergo high tech security that includes scanning of face and fingerprints. Starting in October, 2004, when new visa cards are scheduled to be issued.
*There is not one, not two, but three motion picture productions in the works centered on Alexander the Great---with noted directors Oliver Stone, Dino deLaurentis and Baz Luhrman.
*In the local entertainment world, new motion pictures are generally so terrible that classics of 1935 (“Α Night at the Opera” with the Marx Brothers) and 1940 (“The Great Dictator” with Charlie Chaplin) are enjoying reruns in local cinemas.
*Alas and alack: Sad to report less and less nudity, especially the topless fad, on the public beaches of Greece. But thanks to British tourists, sex shows are being staged on various popular beaches.

Greek Philoxenia-the advantage of Athens 2004
With just eleven months to go before the torch is lit for the 2004 Games, all eyes are on Athens - and by extension on Greece. Expectations for these "homecoming" Games are high and how Athens performs as host of the world's premiere sporting event will affect Greece's tourism industry for a decade.
The Games offer Greece an unprecedented opportunity for promotion. Media coverage will be extensive, with attention focusing not only on the Games themselves but also on every aspect of Greece's social and economic life, from its public transport system to food. While athletic facilities and infrastructure works are important, visitors' overall impression is formed by quality of service. Sydney was deemed a success not because everything ran like clockwork or was perfect - there were minor mishaps there, too - but because Australians caught the Olympic spirit and transmitted it to everyone who went to see the Games. Greeks, who have a reputation for philoxenia, would seem to have the advantage in this area. But it's vital that everyone joins in this effort, from the taxi driver who greets visitors at the airport and the taverna busboy to the luxury hotel concierge and the person on the street asked for directions.
Despite problems with the rowing facility at Schinias caused by the high winds, the test events organized in August went off quite well and provided officials with an opportunity to test facilities and operations under competition conditions. The test events were invaluable feedback for rectifying possible errors or omissions. Even the Schinias mishap was overshadowed by off-field factors, such as the stories about taxi drivers charging customers extra for air turning on the conditioning or a case of food poisoning at a hotel used by one of the teams. It was these incidents that drew media attention and it is these types of incidents that can make or break the 2004 Olympics - and the Greek tourism industry.
What's missing from the preparations for these Games is enthusiasm - not among officials or athletes or even visitors but among the Greek public. On August 13, Athens 2004 organizing public concerts in the four Olympic spirits to celebrate the start of the countdown to the 2004 Games. Such efforts to get people behind the Games are necessary and absolutely vital to their success. Many people, including professionals in the tourism sector, view the Games as an opportunity for profit. But the profits reaped can be bigger and over a more extended period of time if everyone pulls together so that the 2004 Games are not just a sports showcase, but a hospitality showcase too.
Athens 2004 and the government are responsible for the organizational aspects of the Olympic Games. The tourism sector bears equal responsibility for Greece's image. Just as the advanced infrastructure required to support the Olympic Games will highlight Greece as a place for doing business, the hospitality demands of the Olympic Games will highlight Greece as a place for pleasure. Greek philoxenia will be put to the test, and everyone must be prepared to be held to the highest standards. Sydney raised the bar for the Olympics; Greece now has the opportunity to raise it even higher.
Hellenic Travelling

Germans staying at home
Domestic tourism in German rose by eight percent this year, accounting for 38 percent of leisure travel by Germans, according to data compiled by the European Tourism Institute. The institute's director, Martin Fontanari, said there were several reasons that Germans opted to stay at home this year as opposed to travel abroad, chiefly the Iraq war, the SARS epidemic, and a tight economy.
Fontanari projected a further rise in domestic tourism in Germany as tour operators introduce attractive family packages and service improves. He also projected a gradual switch to overland tours by car or boat for those Germans who opted for a vacation abroad, with a drop in luxury vacations and destinations reached by airplane.
Meanwhile, the Hamburg-based German newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt cited Greece as the third most popular holiday destination for Germans in the country's northern regions despite the lack of direct flights from Hamburg to Greek destinations and the easy availability of direct connections to Turkish destinations.

Outlook for Austrian tourism grim
Analysts are predicting a slow year for the Austrian tourism industry, based on data from the first few months of the year. Officials at Austria's Institute of Economic Research were quoted as saying that business for Austrian hoteliers was expected to be slow in July, with the number of room nights well below 2002 levels.
The institute said tourism was slow because of a shift in the vacation schedules for Germans, an important population segment for the Austrian tourism market. It said that an estimated 50 million Germans were expected to take their holidays three weeks later this year, that is, towards the end of July rather than at start of July.
Analysts' projections were based on official statistics from May, where there was a 9.5 percent drop in hotel nights and a 21.1 percent decline in the number of tourist arrivals from Germany.
A larger number of Austrian tourists have opted for destinations outside Europe. Austria's largest travel agency, Verkehrbuero, said that it had sold 12 percent more packages for U.S. destinations in the first five months of 2003 compared to the same period of the previous year. SARS and the Iraq war seem to be the main factors pushing Austrian travelers across the Atlantic.

Caroli Health Club opens at Grand Resort Lagonissi
Grand Resort Lagonissi, Attikos Ilios A.E's luxury resort on the southern Attica coast, has teemed up with CA.NI.KON, parent company of the Caroli Health Clubs and City Beauty Farms, to offer guests and visitors a special treat.
The Caroli Health Club at the Grand Resort Lagonissi aims to enhance the luxury resort's amenities, which are modeled on those of the top hotels of the French Riviera. The resort also has facilities for beach volley, beach soccer, and other sports, while the staff frequently organize special events.

Let’s go Greece stages dance promos in Vienna, Munich
The trans-Balkans road tour Let's Go Greece, organized by Greek tourism officials to highlight overland routes linking the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to the German city of Munich wooed potential Austrian tourists with a dance festival in a central Viennese square. A similar event was held in Munich, the final stop on the Let's Go Greece route.
Let's Go Greece, or "Fahren wir los nach Griechenland," set off from Thessaloniki on July 14 and traveled through Skopje, Nis, Belgrade, Budapest, and Vienna - Route A10, also known as Pan-European Transport Corridor X. In 1991, before the Yugoslav crisis, over 709,000 tourists arrived in Greece through the Evzones border port. In 1999, this figure had dropped to 185,000.
The Let's Go Greece program included stops in each major city along the route where participants will meet with local officials and hold press conferences to explain the purpose of the program and create publicity for overland travel.
The dance promotion, led by Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) head Ioannis Patellis, was held in the plaza in front of the Vienna opera house. The festival featured traditional dance groups from northern Greece and was followed by a news conference. The event in Vienna was organized by EOT’s Austrian branch.

Austrian Tourists prefer Greece
Feedback from Austria suggests that Greece is one of the top travel destinations for Austrian holidaymakers. Data from the Verkehrsburo travel agency, Austria's largest, shows a 12.6 percent increase in bookings to Greece from Austria over the previous year. The Gulet Touropa Touristik chain also projects a five percent increase in Greek bookings.

Arrivals from Italy spur optimism
Despite a sharp drop in the number of Italians taking their vacations abroad this year, the number of tourist arrivals from Italy in Greece has risen over 2002 by as much as 30 percent on Crete and 14 percent on Rhodes according to preliminary data.
The Development Ministry, which coordinates tourism policy, said in a press release that data from the first six months of 2003 and bookings for the rest of the season suggest that Greece is a preferred destination among Italian holidaymakers.
The release cited data from leading Italian tour operators and travel agents such as Alpi Tour and Volando, which reported a 97 percent increase in demand for charter flights to Crete.
Ferry companies on Adriatic routes also report satisfactory results, with bookings in the first six months of 2003 at the same levels at 2002, while airlines reported increased traffic. Carriers Olympic and Alitalia reported a five percent increase in passengers on Greek-Italian routes, while Aegean Cronus, which doubled its flights linking Greek and Italian destinations, reported a 50 percent increase.

EOT launches ‘consciousness raising’ campaign
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) has launched a special advertising camping in the trade media aimed at shaping tourism professionals' "tourism consciousness."
The campaign, which was carried out in July and August, aimed at reminding those working in the tourism sector and related industries of Greece's famed hospitality or philoxenia, a key element in attracting visitors from abroad.
The campaign's themes include slogans such as "Let's not forget to say 'thank you'," and "Let's put our best face forward." It also featured the phrase "thank you" in fourteen foreign languages, along with a pronunciation guide.

Zakynthos Hoteliers elect board
Panos Konstantinos was elected chairman of the 13-member board of directors of the Union of Zakynthos Hoteliers at elections held on the Ionian island earlier this summer. Christina Tetradi was elected as deputy chair, while Nikolas Tsipiras was elected general secretary, Karolina Nahas was elected treasurer, and Constantinos Markoutsas was elected ephor.
Tetradi, Tsipiras, Nahas, Nikolas Apostolopoulos, Ioannis Mavrikis, and Nikolas Theodosis were also elected as representatives to the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers.

Rhodes hosts Unesco conference on heritage sites
The medieval city of Rhodes, a world heritage site, hosted the seventh international symposium of the Organization of World Heritage Sites designated by Unesco. The symposium was held September 23-26 and was attended by experts from the fields of restoration, preservation, and promotion of heritage sites. Over 100 papers were presented at the conference.
A Unesco "youth forum" was also organized in conjunction with the symposium for youths aged 16-19 years from world heritage cities. The forum was organized as part of the Cultural Olympiad in cooperation with the International Center for Conservation and Restoration of Monuments, ICCROM. Members of the forum's honorary committee include Patriarch Bartholomaios, Unesco chief Koichiro Matsura, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos, Aegean Minister Nikos Sifounakis, and Unesco goodwill ambassador Mariana Vardinoyiannis.

Blue Star assesses first year of Dodekanese route
Blue Star Ferries marked the first anniversary of the inauguration of its Dodecanese route on July 22 by the Blue Star 1, one of the company's newest ships.
According to company data, during the first twelve months since launching the route, the Blue Star 1 has completed 416 sailings and transported 235,521 passengers, 28,346 cars, and 16,964 trucks. These figures, the company said, represent traffic increases of 99,848 passengers, 3,085 cars, and 5,177 trucks, on its route.

Daskalantonakis group breaks ground in Larissa
Top officials from the central Greek city of Larisa, including the mayor, were present for groundbreaking ceremonies for a new luxury resort and conference center by the Daskalantonakis Group.
The new hospitality complex will be built at the Xenia location. It will include 126 double rooms, 21 single rooms, and nine suites for a total of 300 beds. A state-of-the-art conference center will be built at the resort, which will include swimming pool, restaurants, bars, and parking area.
The 13-million-euro project is being developed by Pineios A.E., which is owned by the Daskalantonakis Group. The group owns Grecotel, Greece's largest chain of hotels and resorts, with over 30 properties.

Slight drop in early data on charter arrivals
Charter arrivals in June were down by 2.77 percent over the same month of the previous year, the Development Ministry said in a statement.
It said that data collected from 17 selected Greek airports showed total arrivals of 1,285,211 arrivals via charter flights this June compared to 1,321,835 arrivals in June 2002.
The data also suggested a change in the pattern of arrivals with fewer arrivals on popular destination such as Myconos, Santorini, Corfu, and Samos, but a slight trend towards less popular destinations such as Kalamata, Mytilene, Kavala, and Thessaloniki as well as slight fluctuations in the number of arrivals at destinations such as Crete (Iraklio and Hania), Rhodes, Skiathos, and Zakynthos.
The ministry statement said the data supported earlier projections by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) of a slow start too the season because of the Iraq war and the SARS outbreak, as well as a slow German economy. It said a rebound was expected and that the season would end at "satisfactory" levels, especially given the negative influences on tourism.

Electra Palace reopens in Athens
The Golden Tulip Electra Palace in Athens has reopened for business after being closed for 18 months due to extensive renovations, Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns, and Resorts announced.
The Golden Tulip Electra Palace reopened on July 17. Its existing wing has been completely refurbished with 105 guest rooms and seven suites, while a new wing with 60 guest rooms is expected to be open by the end of 2003.
"I am very pleased with the reopening of the Golden Tulip Electra Palace," said Hans Kennedie, president and chief executive officer of Golden Tulip said. "This type of investment is extremely important for various reasons. In today's highly competitive market hotels need to invest in order to maintain their market share either by improving facilities or expanding capacity. With the upcoming Olympic Games, Athens is increasing its profile as a destination and as such it is important for all hotels to be up to or above par."
The building's facade has been redesigned in a neoclassical style, while suites have views of the Acropolis. The lobby has been enlarged while an open-air swimming pool will added to the new wing's rooftop. The new wing will also have a spa equipped with steam bath, jacuzzi, sauna, and fitness center.
"I am very proud of the results of our 18-month renovation works," said the hotel's general manager, Yiannis Retsos. "The hotel has been converted into an upmarket product and one of the leading hotels in our segment. In addition, the strength of our product combined with our long-standing relationship with Golden Tulip will surely lead to a successful reintegration of our hotel in the market."

APG Hellas to represent Albanian Airlines
APG Hellas has been named general sales agent in Greece for Albanian Airlines, the privately owned national carrier of Albania established in 1996.
The airline operates four flights weekly between Athens and Tirana, on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Timetables are targeted to the growing business commuter traffic between the two capitals, with special provision for the weekday traveler who wishes to conduct business in Tirana during the week but return to Greece for the weekend.
The route is served by British Aerospace BAE 146 aircraft. Full business and economy service is provided.
APG Hellas was established in 1997. It represents seven airlines in the Greek market: Maersk Air, China Eastern, Yemen Airways, Hahn Air, Scenic Airlines, and Icelandair.

SEEDDE files protest against unlicensed accommodations
SEEDDE, a confederation of holiday rooms-for-rent businesses, has petitioned the Development Ministry and other government authorities against what it claims is the rampant phenomenon of unlicensed rooms and inappropriate properties being made offered for rent at holiday resorts.
It said that proprietors of unlicensed rental properties solicited customers at ports and even collaborated with tour operators who seek to use a highly competitive market to their advantage.
The SEEDDE petition underscored the importance of tourism for Greece and the Greek economy and called on the government to implement laws governing accommodations.
Meantime, A SEEDDE delegation met with Deputy Development Minister Dimitris Georgakopoulos in early August to discuss these issues. In a statement, the confederation said the meeting had been constructive and covered a range of issues.

Greece top destination for Moscow holidaymakers
Turkey, Spain, and Greece are the most popular holiday destinations for residents of the Russian capital, according to the chairman of the Moscow travel agents union who was interviewed by a Moscow radio station.
Cyprus and Italy are also in the top-five preferred destinations for holidaymakers from Moscow.
During the interview, the travel agents' representative said Turkey had spent six million dollars on advertising in Moscow, while Egypt, the second biggest spender in the market, had spent three million dollars.
Greece's high showing in tourist preferences is the result of indirect advertising, promotional efforts by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT), sponsored press trips, and other activities.

Grecotel named ‘environment champion’ by TUI
The world's leading tour operator has named Grecotel as its "Environment Champion 2003" for its commitment to environmental protection and preservation. Grecotel, Greece's leading hotel and resort chain, has won the award for seven consecutive years.
TUI's 2003 environment awards were announced in Hanover in July. The awards are based on guest votes and are an international distinction. TUI clients ranked two Grecotel properties, Grecotel Pella Beach in the northern Halkidiki peninsula and Grecotel Malia Park on Crete, among the world's top 10 resorts.
Grecotel has been in the vanguard of environmental protection in the hospitality sector since the 1990s and is considered a model hotel enterprise in the Mediterranean as far as environmental protection is concerned. Its activities include the creation of a model organic farm, Agreco, near the Cretan resort-town of Rethymno. The farm uses traditional agricultural methods in the production of olives, grapes, and other crops, which are then processed into olive oil and wine using old-fashioned presses. The farm also produces its own honey.
Organic produce from the farm is used in preparing traditional Cretan meals served at the farm's taverna, which has an unparalleled view of the northern coast of Crete.

Hoteliers protest new depreciation formoulas
The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers has issued a statement protesting new formulas for calculating depreciation issued by the Finance Ministry as well as provisions of the development law concerning hotels.
In its statement, the federation said that tourism is a vital element of the Greek economy. It noted that even though the sector had been hard hit as a result of international developments, it was being pressured further by government measures.
One example the hoteliers offered was the change in the ways of calculating depreciation on buildings introduced about a year ago when the coefficient for hotels was reduced from eight percent to four percent, forcing hotels to recalculate their financial statements for the fiscal year. According to the federation, the reduction is a severe disincentive to investment in expanding or improving properties.
The hoteliers' federation said that despite assurances from the finance minister that the issue would be reviewed so that the upper and lower limits to the coefficient would be introduced, this has not been the case. Indeed, the statement said, that hoteliers had received information that a new regulation was being drafted which would reduce the depreciation coefficient even further.

Greek cooking promoted at golf tournament
Golfers participating in the Trophy Golf Tour 2003 held in the Czech Republic earlier this summer had the opportunity to sample delicacies from Greek cuisine as part of a special promotion organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) branch office.
VIP golfers participating in tournaments at the Karlstejn Golf Club, as well as at the Marianske Lazne, Celadna, Cihelny, Karlovy, Vary, and Konopiste legs were also given a taste of Greece, literally, as part of this promotional campaign linking golf to gourmet pursuits.

EOT ads rated ‘most effective’ in German market
Greece's tourism promotion and advertising campaigns have been rated as the most effective campaigns in the German market by the independent IMAS institute which is based in Munich.
A Development Ministry statement said that the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) campaign had received 3.27 points by IMAS in terms of effectiveness, beating holiday destination Morocco (3.20 points), car manufacturers Peugeot (3.02 points) and Toyota (2.79 points), and tire maker Pirelli (2.44 points). The survey was conducted in June.
IMAS surveys are based on representative samples and measure product recognition as well as viewer response or reaction to the ad.

Italian TV airs documentary on 2004 preparations
A documentary on Greece's preparations for hosting the 2004 Olympic Games was aired on Italian television in late July, the development ministry said in a statement.
It said the documentary was filmed by RAI2 journalist Carlo Sacchettoni in cooperation with the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and was titled "Dossier Grecia."
The documentary focused on infrastructure improvements underway in Athens as well as preparations in the other Olympic cities: Thessaloniki, Volos, Patras, Iraklio, and ancient Olympia.
The show featured comments by leading Greek figures, including Foreign Minister George Papandreou, Aegean Minister Nikos Sifounakis, Athens 2004 organizing committee chair Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalakis, and EOT chief Yiannis Patellis.

Handicapped sailing meet at Porto Carras
The third international sailing marathon for the persons with physical disabilities was held at the Porto Carras resort in the northern Greek peninsula of Halkidiki in July.
The meet included presentation of films on the first and second sailing meets.
The Porto Carras Grand Resort, meantime, has won a Blue Flag again this year for its beach. The Blue Flags are a Europe-wide program for organized beaches that helps maintain high standards for water quality.

July charter arrivals
Charter arrivals for the month of July contained mixed messages for Greek destinations, according to data released by the Development Ministry.
Arrivals were up, from 0.7 percent to as high as 30.3 percent, over arrivals during the same month of 2002 for destinations such as Mytilene, Kefalonia, Hania, Rhodes, Kos, and Kalamata, but dropped sharply for Santorini (down 12.4 percent) and Corfu (down five percent).
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) attributed the rise in charter arrivals to its advertising campaign and said "last minute" bookings would be critical for this season, which got a late and slow start due to the Iraq war and SARS scare.
The ministry statement said that EOT branch offices abroad would continue their promotional efforts through October by organizing a variety of events aimed at markets such as German to target fall holidays.

Blue Star Ferries report traffic increase on Hania route
Blue Star Ferries said traffic on its Piraeus-Hania route recorded an increase in the month of July compared to the same period of the previous year, with passenger traffic up 43.12 percent, vehicle traffic up 42.8 percent, and truck or freight traffic up by 33.4 percent.
During the month of July, Blue Star 2 carried a total of 65,471 passengers between the ports of Piraeus and Hania, as well as 9,523 cars and 457 trucks. The company said these figures represent market shares of 48.79 percent, 46.28 percent, and 11.38 percent respectively.
The Blue Star 2 travels at a speed of 28 miles per hour and completed 62 sailings to and from Piraeus during July.

Australian medalists receive EOT award
The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) has presented Australian Olympic medalists Kathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe with special achievement awards and the Xenios Dias medals.
The awards were presented on July 31 at a special ceremony held at the Dionysus restaurant at the foot of Filopappos Hill opposite the Acropolis.
The two Olympic medalists were in Athens with a camera crew from Australia's Seven Network to film a documentary on "one year before the Athens Olympic Games."

Cultural conference on Corfu
The Development Ministry hosted a three-day international conference on culture and tourism in the Balkans in cooperation with the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) and the World Tourism Organization (WTO).
The conference, held September 19-21 on the island of Corfu, was organized in the context of the tourism cooperation memorandum signed by southeastern European countries last May at a high-level meeting in Vouliagmeni.
The conference brought together representatives from all southern European countries to discuss cooperation in promoting tourism in the area as well as links between culture and tourism promotion.

AIEST conclave in Athens
AIEST, the international organization of tourism experts, held its international conference in Athens from September 7-11.
The conference, whose theme was sports and tourism, heard presentations about Greece's athletic infrastructure as well as the prospects for developing sports tourism. Conference members also received briefings on progress in works for the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens.

Ouzo highlighted at Lesvos festival
Ouzo's place in history and the local economy was highlighted at a five-day festival held at Plomari on the island of Lesvos, one of the best-known ouzo-producing areas of Greece.
The festival, held July 30-August 3, was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of the Aegean and the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT).
Activities highlighted the link between ouzo production and traditional life on the island, especially the village of Plomari where four of the island's 13 distilleries are located.
EOT head Yiannis Patellis, who visited the festival, said it was vital to find ways to promote this Greek alcoholic beverage abroad.

HATTA protests U.S. visa requirement
Greek travel agents have protested a U.S. decision to require visas from travelers from Greece.
In a statement, the Hellenic Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA) said that singling out Greece and implementing different policies from those applied to other European countries do not support the climate of friendship and cooperation between Greece and the United States.
It said that the August 4 decision by the U.S. to require even transit passengers to obtain visas created serious problems for Greek travelers bound for other destinations via the United States and that many travelers missed their trip because they did not have time to obtain a visa.

Theodorakis, Ritsos works at Megara
The Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra performed works by the Greek composer at a special concert at the Evharis Estate in Megara.
The program was dedication to the late poet Yiannis Ritsos and featured works by Theodorakis inspired by Ritsos' poetry, among them "Epitaphios."
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.
The concert was attended by Megara Mayor Chrysostomos Syrkos, who conferred upon the composer the title of "honorary resident" of Megara in accordance with a decision by the local Town Council.
Meantime, the estate's wines won several prizes at the International Wine and Spirit Competition held in London this spring.
Ilaros, a red wine that is a delicate blend of the Ayioryitiko and Grenache rouge grapes, won the silver medal, while bronze medals were given to the Syrah 2000, Ktima Evharis White 2002 (a blend of Assyrtiko and Chardonnay, with a touch of Athiri grapes), and the Ilaros White for its Moschofilero, Roditis, and Savatiano varieties.

EOT unveils new logo for 2004
More than 140 designs were submitted by 53 participants in a competition for a new logo for the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) to be used in 2004 when Athens hosts the Summer Olympics.
The competition had been announced in June and the committee chose 28 entries as finalists. The six runner-ups will be given special distinctions, while the winner will be used by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT).
The new logo features the colors of the Greek flag, which are also the colors of the sea and sky, as well as the sun that shines over the Greece. The emblem features ribbons that gently form the date 2004 symbolizing the spirit of celebration in which the Olympic Games are conducted.

World Tourism Day 2003
World Tourism Day 2003 is 27 September 2003. The theme for this year is as follows: “Tourism: a driving force for poverty alleviation, job creation and social harmony”.
Go to the following hyperlink and you will find a message for World Tourism Day from the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation, Francesco Frangialli: http://www.world-tourism.org/projects/world/2003.html.

Test events mark countdown to 2004 games
Greeks got their first glimpse of the Olympic Games during seven test events held in Athens in mid-August. The test events, which included rowing, cycling, and archery, served as an early rehearsal for several aspects of the Games, from volunteer coordination to security, as well as a test of the new facilities.
Organizing committee officials expressed satisfaction at the test events, which also drew worldwide media attention.
Meantime, Athens 2004 announced that the second round of ticket sales would take place in September and October. People who applied for tickets in the first phase will be able to submit additional orders as from September 15, while all European Union and European Economic Area citizens will be able to place orders as from October 1. Organizers say tickets are still available for most sports, including those for which a lottery was held.

Autohellas buys out Bulgaria’s Autotechnica
Autohellas has announced its acquisition of Bemalauto Ltd, owner of Autotechnica LTF which holds the Hertz franchise in Bulgaria and is also the country's licenced importer of Seat and Audi cars.
Established in 1995, Autotechnica is based in Sophia.

Eurostar expands global distribution through Amadeus
Eurostar, the leading high speed passenger rail company serving the UK, France and Belgium, has expanded distribution of its rail services through the Amadeus global distribution system, via the same neutral display used by airlines. Amadeus travel agents located in most countries where Eurostar services are not already will thus be able to view, book, and ticket Eurostar services.
"We want to ensure Eurostar services are available to customers through the most effective and wide-reaching channels. We are confident that this partnership with Amadeus will enable us to meet business demand in all corners of the globe," Alain van West, Eurostar's Head of International Sales, said.
Eurostar is now fully integrated into the Amadeus system, so bookings are made in exactly the same way as a flight, saving time for agencies in addition to increasing their productivity and revenue. Travel agencies view Eurostar routes alongside flights on the same screen, enabling them to quickly compare rail and air travel options and offer more choice to customers.
Gaining seamless access to Eurostar bookings is an industry must in light of the vast expansion of high-speed rail. Since it began operations in November 1994, Eurostar has carried over 45 million passengers. From the autumn, journey times will be cut by 20 minutes with the opening of the new UK fast line. For the first time, Eurostar trains will be able to travel at their maximum speed of 186 mph (300 kph) in the UK. London-Paris journey time will be reduced to 2 hours 35 minutes, London-Brussels to 2 hours 20 minutes and London-Lille to just 1 hour 40 minutes.
Eurostar's presence on GDS will be particularly beneficial to corporations and business travel agencies, who now have a straight-forward means of accessing the rail company's hassle-free city-centre to city-centre business fares. In the leisure market, Amadeus travel agencies will be able to book popular European itineraries, combining long-haul flights from Eurostar's nine interline airline partners (including Virgin Atlantic, US Airways and Korean Air) - with short-haul travel on Eurostar.

UFTAA meets in Singapore
The Passenger Sales Agency Agreement (PSAA) was the main topic of discussion of at the Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA) held a meeting in Singapore in early August. UFTAA President Udaya Nanayakkara, said the Board had reached a policy position on the matters that remain unresolved between agents and airlines in relation to the conclusion of a revised Passenger Sales Agency Agreement. The Board'ss position will be conveyed to IATA and the Global Consultative Committee at their October 8-10 meeting in Monaco.
First enacted in 1946, the PSAA is a global agreement under which all travel agents work and perform services for all IATA member airlines, outside the USA. The PSAA was last revised 20 years ago and does not apply to the US domestic market.
"The decision to meet in this part of the world underscores the importance of the Asia Pacific region to the entire tourism industry because this region is the fastest growing region in air traffic and tourism. We are also very pleased to be here in Singapore to congratulate one of our members, NATAS, on their attainment of the Singapore Quality Class award," said UFTAA CEO Birger Backman.
The UFTAA Board hopes the Global Consultative Committee - comprised of travel agents, airlines and IATA - will adopt the proposed revised PSAA before the next UFTAA Congress, to be held in Damascus, Syria, from 31 October to 4 November 2003.
The UFTAA meeting also discussed issues such a shift in travel focus from Europe to Asia, changes in consumer behavior, the effect of new technologies on the travel industry, and the impact of airline competition rules in Europe and Australia.