For the first time ever, Athens and its surrounding area, Attiki, has come up with 600 million drachmas to
Instead, the fairly-new public leaders of the Attiki Prefecture (local responsibility for Athens and its satellite areas) have taken the initiative and have done so in record time.
Most of the funds, some 60%, will go toward an advertising campaign outside of Greece but the details are still unknown. The remainder goes for the creation and production of brochures and such on Athens, as well as a public relations program.
The prefecture…
For the first time ever, Athens and its surrounding area, Attiki, has come up with 600 million drachmas to
Instead, the fairly-new public leaders of the Attiki Prefecture (local responsibility for Athens and its satellite areas) have taken the initiative and have done so in record time.
Most of the funds, some 60%, will go toward an advertising campaign outside of Greece but the details are still unknown. The remainder goes for the creation and production of brochures and such on Athens, as well as a public relations program.
The prefecture’s tourism committee hopes to double its advertising budget for next year. And if the prefecture can get together with the private sector (hoteliers), the City Fathers and the Hellenic Tourism Organization, the sky’s the limit.
Athens and the surrounding area as a tourism destination has been losing ground the past few years. So far this year, according to the Athens Hoteliers Association, overnights in the capital are down slightly when compared with last year.
However, the association says it expects to cover the losses during the months of September and October. Meanwhile, arrivals to Greece this year are expected to post another record with a 10% increase over record-breaking 1998.
A recent study by UK-based Travelscene placed Athens as the 17th most popular city-break destination for British travelers during 1998. The year before, Athens held the 19th spot on the list.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
