Greece's 2010 tourism campaign will re-use old footage and focus on an internet platform to help keep costs low as the Mediterranean holiday destination steers through its first recession since 1993. Greece will also make "Kalimera", which means good-morning in Greek, as its motto to add a tone of optimism.
"Our country's image abroad, especially this period, is very bad as we have the ‘negative privilege' of monopolising foreign press front pages due to the state of our economy," Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Angela Gerekou said. "The campaign video this year re-uses existing footage and "didn't cost Greek taxpayers even one euro".
Greece is struggling through a recession and the government has vowed to cut its deficit to 8.7 per cent of gross domestic product this year, from 12.7 per cent in 2009. Deficit cutting measures include lower public-sector wages, trimming welfare provisions and raising taxes.
Up to 90 per cent of tourists make their plans on the internet which is almost "unknown territory" for Greece, Gerekou said. On Monday a new web-based portal will open with a team assigned to updating and maintaining the site on a daily basis, she said.
Tourism accounts for about 16 per cent of Greece's gross domestic product and about one in five jobs, according to estimates by the World Travel and Tourism Council, an industry group.
Vicky Karantzavelou - Thursday, March 11, 2010