Greece calls 2013 the ‘comeback year’
Greece has dubbed 2013 the ‘comeback year’ after the political and economic troubles of summer 2012.
The destination saw a 5% decline in arrivals last year during the economic crisis which threatened its membership of the eurozone and led to reports that tourists would not be able to withdraw money from banks.
But this year, with figures up more than 10% on last year – equating to more than 17 million arrivals – the country is optimistic.
Minister of tourism Olga Kefalogianni said the focus for 2014 would be establishing Greece as a year round destination, with Tui already increasing its offering in the shoulder seasons, see previous story.
It also plans to push niche markets or ‘thematic tourism’ such as medical tourism, golf, yachting, gastronomy, MICE and city breaks.
But the idea will be spread through targeted marketing and social media rather than a big budget campaign.
Olga Kefalogianni said: "We have budget constraints and we need to be more creative about how we spend our money.
"We will work with partners such as tour operators and agents and we are putting a lot of effort in our online campaign and using social media.
"The image of Greece was tarnished by the crisis and the recession but tourism was the most resilient part of the economy.
"As a government, we’re trying to be very focused to promote our country but it is also important that the private sector and the regions are becoming more involved. It’s a joint effort."
She added that celebrities, such as Russell Crowe, Stephen Fry, Jeremy Irons and Sarah Jessica Parker, tweeting about their holidays in Greece were often the best adverts for the destination.
New flights connecting regional airports in both the UK and Greece has been very successful for 2013, she added and these will be increased for 2014.
The destination has seen an increase in arrivals from Russia of more than 40% and has seen visitors from the US increase by 27%.
Diane
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