Sights Of Ancient Greece In Athens
Friday, November 6, 2009

You can’t fail to be entranced by Athens. Ancient Greek mythology and reality are stamped into the scenery wherever you go, but of course there are some main sights you won’t want to miss.

The Parthenon is one of the main places to go to. It dates from the mid 400s BC, so you can see how much history it has weathered and stood through. It is also known as the Temple of Athena, and while some of it has understandably been weathered and ruined over the centuries, it still stands in remarkably good condition considering how old it is.

But don’t spend too much time there because you’ll want to see the Acropolis of Athens as well. You can see this from a fair distance away, because it stands on top of a rock – and in fact the Parthenon forms one part of the Acropolis. There is plenty more here too though, which is why the two are usually spoken of as separate places to see and go. You’ll need most of the day to explore the site, as there are several temples, the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, statues and much more besides. And you won’t want to miss anything out!

If you want to see a Greek temple that is even better preserved than the Acropolis, you need to head for the Temple of Hephaestus. This is really a stunning sight and if you view it from the eastern side you will notice that it looks pretty much intact. All that is missing is some of the right hand side of the triangular section which stands above the pillars. You could almost believe you were back in ancient Greek times, such is the impressive state of this particular ancient structure.

There is plenty more to discover in the way of ancient monuments, structures and temples in Athens as well. When you arrive make sure you grab a tourist map and mark all the places that are worth seeing. There aren’t many locations in the world that have this degree of ancient structures, and Athens definitely offers a huge insight into another world altogether.

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Greek tourism goes ‘green’
Monday, November 26, 2007

Greece is keen on implementing tourism measures that would be environmentally- friendly.

Greece’s Ministry of Tourism officially announced a new initiative promoting the country’s “Green tourism,” as part of a national strategic plan for tourism development over the next years.

This development comes two months after the catastrophic fires that afflicted regions all over the country, especially the western Peloponnese and the area near Ancient Olympia.

Greek Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos, who spoke at the recently-held 23rd International Tourism Exhibition Philoxenia, said that the country’s tourism ministry will devise a pilot program for tourism development for the whole country based on protection of the environment. According to him, environmentally-friendly tourist facilities and infrastructures will be developed.

The pilot program exploring the potential of such an effort will start with the Tourism Development Company (ETA) facilities in northern Greece, putting the tourism state property to good use.

Under the “green plan,” eco-campings, eco-marinas, mountain-hiking and walking tours, to name just a few, will be created, while holistic forms of tourism that are compatible with the environment (such us tourism villages and environmental friendly tourist accommodations), more effective waste management and a widespread use of alternative energy sources for use by tourist will be promoted.

According to Mr. Spiliotopoulos, “whatever the blend of tourist policy is, the ultimate success lies in two indispensable ingredients--the natural and cultural environment.”

In addition to adopting green tourism measure, the country’s new tourism model is being aimed directly at prioritizing Greece’s new key position as a preferred tourist destination, with quality being a top priority as well as advertising and promotion (including a digital technology strategy targeting tourism), and investments and business ventures.

Meanwhile, this year’s edition of the Philoxenia meet saw 803 exhibitors, with 690 of the total number being Greek and 113 from 30 countries such as Bulgaria, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Maldives, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.

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Sea Tourism
Monday, July 16, 2007

The wealth and diversity of the Greek seas, the endless kilometres of the Greek coasts and the thousands of Greek islands, the protected sea areas covering thousands of square kilometres, the mild climate, the high percentage of sunshine and its interesting and varying landscape make Greece the ideal destination for the development of sea tourism activities.

This advantage is strengthened both by thousands of years of marine tradition and by conditions favourable for sea travelling: the Greek seas are considered safe, distances between coasts are small, while conditions related to wind strength, ambient and sea temperatures are equally favourable.

In Greece sea tourism started in the ‘60s and since then has been developing at a fast pace, especially in recent years. Cruise ships under Greek flag organising short or longer cruises to Greek ports and ports of other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean amount to more than 160,000 GRT units and have a total capacity of over 10,000 passengers. Greek ports, however, are also visited by cruise ships under foreign flags, which annually bring more than 500,000 passengers into the country by sea.

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Greek Police Begin Security Operation for Athens Final
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

21 May 2007

More than 7,500 police officers and thousands more security personnel on Monday started taking positions in and around the capital ahead of Wednesday's Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool.

With about 50,000 English and Italian fans expected in Athens, many of them without tickets, police are bracing for three days of potential clashes.

"It is not only the 7,500 officers who will patrol the city. Every single employee of the police force is on full alert until after Wednesday," a police official told.

Greece has activated a part of its successful Athens 2004 Olympics security plan, including cameras, helicopters and three security perimetres as well as limited vehicle access to the area around the Olympic stadium.

"We feel the need to show again that we as a society and as police are worthy hosts," Public Order Minister Byron Polidoras said following a security meeting on Sunday.

Polidoras and his senior officers have done their homework in the run-up to the final, liaising with British and Italian police for information regarding known trouble-makers but their main source of concern is potential demonstrations by their own officers on the day of the final.

Police unions seeking pay hikes and improved working conditions have pledged not to go on strike on Wednesday so as not to disrupt the match but have confirmed they will stage a demonstration on the day.

They have planned a rally in Athens some three hours before the start of the final.

"These actions by the unions for the day of the final are wrong. They must not take place," Polidoras said. "They could stain this major sports event and embarrass the nation."

Authorities have said they expect a total of about 35,000 Liverpool and AC Milan fans with tickets and at least another 15,000 who will travel to Greece without a match ticket.

Athens international airport has said Italian and English fans will not meet upon arrival and will be guided to the airport exits from separate routes.

"These fans will not meet at the airport. Our plan is for them not to meet throughout their stay in Athens," the police official said.

It is the second time in three seasons that Liverpool and Milan have played each other in the Champions League final following their first meeting in Istanbul in 2005 which passed without any major crowd trouble.

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2006 a 'very good year' for Greek tourism
Thursday, February 1, 2007

Preliminary figures show that nearly 16 million tourists visited Greece in 2006, a 10 percent increase from the previous year, the tourism minister said on January 23.

The tourists spent an estimated 12bn euros ($15.7bn) last year, also an increase of 10 percent from 2005, Fani Pali Petralia said. Official figures on tourism for 2006 have not yet been released.

"Tourism is a blood donor for the Greek economy, contributing 1bn ($1.3 bn) to the national economy every month... 2006 was a very good year," Petralia said after meeting Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

The government plans to spend more than 40m euros ($52m) on its advertising campaign to promote Greece as a holiday destination - with international television ads taking up most of the cost.

"There was an increase in the order of 10 percent in tourist arrivals, close to 16 million visitors. That generated a 10 percent increase in currency revenue, equivalent to 12bn euros," Petralia said.

Government officials say private and public infrastructure improvements for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens have helped attract more visitors, as well as a general regard by travellers of Greece as a safe destination.

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Charm School for Taxi Drivers, as Greek Tourism Seeks More Polite Image
Monday, December 11, 2006

Greece's Tourism Ministry announced plans Monday to spend €1.8 million ($2.4 million) to teach taxi drivers better manners, as part of a campaign to improve services in the country's vital tourism industry.

Taxi drivers' behaviour has been cited in consumer surveys as a source of irritation to tourists visiting Athens.

'A key pillar of support to develop the industry is the quality of services and level of tourism awareness shown by professionals,' Tourism Minister Fani Pali-Petralia said.

She said about 5,000 taxi drivers would be eligible for the program, which is due to start next year. She gave no details of what the classes would involve.

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