Elis: A paradise for every season

Corinthia: An enticing destination with a unique history for quality holidays

The region of Elis boasts destinations of authentic natural beauty, each with its own distinct characteristics and rich history, able to welcome visitors all year round and making it, without doubt, a fascinating tourist destination.

As part of the region’s promotion efforts—home, among other sites, to the globally unique archaeological area of Ancient Olympia—the Region of Western Greece hosted a familiarization trip for journalists.

Hospitality at Aldemar Olympian Village
This impressive 5-star seaside resort, Aldemar Olympian Village, is the ideal place to spend an unforgettable holiday, enjoying quality services, including a thalassotherapy center.
The endless sandy beach, dozens of swimming pools, excellent facilities, and unique dining options at seven restaurants and eight bars stand out.

The hospitality for the press group began with a refreshing welcome drink offered by the staff of Aldemar Olympian Village, enjoyed in one of the many outdoor spaces of the resort.

Visit to the Thalassotherapy Center
The Spa & Thalasso Center is located at the 5-star Aldemar Olympian Village, in the western Peloponnese. Operating for 18 years, in a unique, bright space of 2,800 sq. meters, it has received multiple awards over the years.
It is a true haven of wellness, featuring two heated indoor pools, individual hydrotherapy cabins, eight individual treatment rooms for face and body, ten massage cabins, four Oriental Hammam cabins, a sauna, and a relaxation area.
The thalassotherapy center offers a wide range of high-standard care and therapy packages, staffed by experienced and specialized personnel. With state-of-the-art equipment and innovative techniques, it highlights the beneficial effects of thalassotherapy, providing deep relaxation and wellness while helping to combat stress, tension, and fatigue, the hallmarks of modern life.

The press group also enjoyed an interactive workshop, “Sympossio,” led by the expert chefs of Aldemar, using products from Elis.
Sympossio Greek Gourmet Touring, an initiative inspired by Aldemar Resorts CEO Alexandros Angelopoulos, is the group’s gastronomic ambassador, promoting Greek gastronomy abroad for years.

The skilled chefs bring creativity to every dish. Using fresh, local products, they craft inspired, healthy versions of classic recipes. Quite rightly, the food is a signature highlight of Aldemar hotels.

Wine tourism at Brintziki Estate
The Brintziki Estate is in western Peloponnese, in the village of Lantzoi near Ancient Olympia. In 2012, it was recognized as southern Europe’s first “green” winery with zero energy footprint.

Kayaking on Lake Kaiafas and hiking on the islet of Saint Catherine
Lake Kaiafas is in a beautiful spot in Elis, with enchanting surroundings and turquoise-green waters. The lake sits beside the sea, features thermal waters, and offers various sports activities.
It covers 1,500 acres, is 3 kilometers long, and 2 meters deep. In the lake lies the islet of Saint Catherine, and on its shores is the spa town of Kaiafas.

Olive oil tasting at Olympian Olive MILL-Koufoulias
This family-owned olive oil producer, founded in 1970 and based in Makrisia, Elis, won the gold medal for quality at the 2022 Berlin world competition for its extra virgin olive oil.
The site hosts an open-air exhibition of olive oil production machines from the previous century.

Peloponnese food stories in Trikala Corinthias made a difference

Peloponnese food stories in Trikala Corinthias made a difference

By Katerina Karsioti

In its most mountainous and dynamic edition, Peloponnese Food Stories | Stories of People, Taste, and Culture concluded in the magical Trikala Corinthias. The 5th destination of the 1st Peloponnese Gastronomy Festival, marking the start of the winter season, left the best impressions and, naturally, the finest flavors.

On Sunday, October 23, the popular Peloponnese Food Stories welcomed visitors to the central square of Mesaia Trikala, making a significant impact.

Following Areopoli in Laconia, Koroni in Messinia, Paralio Astros in Arcadia, and Tolo in Argolis, this final gastronomic stop of the year took place in Trikala Corinthias, a true tourist treasure of the region.

It is noted that the 1st Peloponnese Gastronomy Festival was organized by the Region of Peloponnese in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Corinthia, the Municipality of Xylokastro-Evrostini, the Association of Hoteliers of Corinth, the Peloponnese Tourism Organization, and supported by the Association of Hoteliers of the Municipality of Xylokastro-Evrostini of Corinthia.

Under a sunny sky, a multitude gathered and explored a local products exhibition that left nothing out. Visitors came into direct contact with all the products produced in the wider Corinthia region, participated in tastings guided by experts, and attended live cooking shows by well-known local chefs, with the recipes orchestrating the entire culture of the place.

Simultaneously, parallel activities with abundant music and entertainment created the most beautiful atmosphere against the unparalleled mountainous natural landscape of Trikala.

Presented as a traditional Sunday table, Peloponnese Food Stories highlighted stories of people, taste, and culture. Once again, it promoted and communicated the agro-food products of the region, the people of Corinthia’s gastronomy scene, local recipes, and culture, while simultaneously highlighting the destination and its culture.

Greetings were made by Panagiotis Nikas, Regional Governor of Peloponnese, while among others, greetings were also delivered by Tasos Londos, Vice Mayor of Xylokastro-Evrostini, and Panagiotis Louziotis, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Corinthia.

The experiential narrative of “Peloponnese Food Stories,” part of a series of initiatives to highlight the gastronomic wealth of each region, has left a strong imprint from the first to the final gastronomic stop, bringing to the forefront history, cooking, local products, folklore, culture, and ecotourism.

Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism Anna Kalogeropoulou stated: “Peloponnese Food Stories puts the gastronomic wealth of the entire Region in the spotlight. We have an obligation to highlight and promote the gastronomy of the entire Peloponnese, as local products are our ambassadors.”

She added: “Through raw materials, our culture, identity, and history are expressed. The 1st Peloponnese Gastronomy Festival represents a major milestone and a unique experiential journey. After Areopoli, Koroni, Paralio Astros, and Tolo, we have arrived at the final gastronomic stop for this year—the magical Trikala Corinthias, a strong tourist player in the Peloponnese.”

Concluding, she noted: “Our goal is to design and implement initiatives involving all productive forces, ensuring the active participation of local communities.”

Skyros: The Wind Lady of the Aegean, with Unique Beaches and Authentic Gastronomy

Skyros: The Wind Lady of the Aegean, with Unique Beaches and Authentic Gastronomy

Skyros is the southernmost island of the Northern Sporades and is characterized by striking contrasts. It features pine-covered hills, rocky mountainous landscapes, idyllic secluded shores, beautiful coves, extensive beaches, sea caves, and a Natura area in the southern part, forming a natural and diverse landscape.

With a long history, Skyros has always been a place that preserves its tradition and authenticity. Visitors to the island will admire the local architecture, intricate wood carvings, embroidery, and ceramics of Byzantine thematic origin.

The role played by the Evia Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of Skyros is pivotal in promoting the destination through familiarization trips aimed at multi-dimensional promotion of the island.

In the main town of Skyros, excellent hospitality infrastructures exist, such as the Nepheli Hotel, a gem that combines eco-friendly materials with impeccable hospitality, quality services, and discreet luxury.

The island is especially known for the Skyrian horse, found nowhere else in the world and depicted on the Parthenon’s metope. The small-sized Skyrian horses are a rare ancient breed, one of the few remaining worldwide.

Mouries Estate
The Mouries Estate of Emmanouil Trachanas has been working since 1995 to preserve the Skyrian horse and currently houses 65 horses, representing a quarter of the population found on Skyros and the largest population worldwide.

The island’s history is closely intertwined with the importance of the Skyrian horse, which the local community honors during the Skyrian Horse Festival held in June.

Stamatis Nikolaou Winery
Founded in 2014 on Skyros, the winery aims to showcase the island’s vineyards on a small scale. The varieties include indigenous and foreign grapes (Malagouzia, Roditis, Assyrtiko, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot), under the label LAL.

Villages and Beaches Tour
It is important to explore shops and so on. The tour continued to Magazia, Molos, Trachys (where Skyros Airport is located), Aspo, Achilli, Atsiitsa, and the main port, Linaria, a small picturesque village situated on the southwestern coast.

The combination of mountain and sea allows for many sports such as hiking along eight marked trails and beautiful natural paths, climbing, bird watching, and more.

Manos and Anastasia Faltaits Folklore Museum
This folklore museum is one of the first local-historical folklore museums in Greece, rich with traditional culture and Skyros’ history. Founded in 1964, its aim is to preserve the Skyrian heritage locally and nationally.

Throughout the island, there are about 400 chapels, all in beautiful locations and many protected Byzantine monuments. The Monastery of Saint George stands proud over the centuries, perched atop a rock filled with memories and information about Skyros and its life.

Getting Acquainted with Skyros’ Local Products and Gastronomy
Skyros’ agricultural products are distinct, primarily because traditional production methods are still widely used. Cheeses, wild goat meat, honey, herbs, fish, and seafood comprise the ingredients of Skyrian cuisine, impressing every potential visitor with their quality.

Skyros’ culinary identity is especially linked to the renowned lobster pasta served authentically at Stelios’ fish tavern in Gyrismata, Skyros.
The island is also famous for its exquisite Skyrian almond sweets, with Chios Pastry Shop leading in their preparation.

Skyrian Carnival
One should consider visiting Skyros during the Skyrian Carnival, one of the most popular traditional carnivals in Greece. It essentially begins with locals dressing up as “Yeroi,” “Koreles,” and “Frangos.” The recited verses contain satire, and the festival culminates on Clean Monday with celebrations.

The Carnival expresses a Dionysian atmosphere. Streets fill with masked men wearing cowbells, crossing through the market. The so-called “Yeroi” wear long black hairy cloaks and goat skin masks. Around their waists, they carry numerous bells (like those used for sheep), often up to 40.

The highlight of the Skyrian carnival is the “trata” custom, on the last Sunday of Lent, when the “trata” is placed in the square and locals dressed as sailors satirize current affairs through verses.

Nikolaos-Andreas Moros
Vice President of Evia Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Nikolaos-Andreas Moros, Vice President of the Evia Chamber of Commerce, referring to promotional actions for the destination, emphasized that “The Evia Chamber has placed great emphasis on the region’s tourism product, aiming to enhance and promote it through a wide and substantive array of actions.”

The Vice President underscores that “the Evia Chamber, aiming to achieve the deserved outreach and recognition for the region, has an immediate partner: a professional exclusively engaged in developing the entire region’s tourism product.”

He continues, “We have particularly focused on promoting local products and gastronomy, showcasing and highlighting all destinations, as well as conducting thematic alternative tourism events because the facets the region can unfold in this tourism segment are extremely dynamic.

At the same time, we are very pleased to have achieved cooperation and partnerships with all stakeholders, aiming for a holistic approach to promote the destination’s tourism brand and to provide substantive support and visibility to the business sphere. After all, a destination is its people.”

Regarding Skyros’ prospects as a destination, Mr. Moros stated that “It is a destination that truly has no ‘ceiling,’ as it offers great opportunities for development and investment.”

He added that Skyros has also embraced the green transition, with its entire port built upon a sustainable philosophy, and many hotels are developing sustainable hotel agriculture.

Finally, the Vice President of the Chamber notes that “we are dealing with an extremely autonomous place, rich in tradition, history, and folklore, with alternative tourism developing dynamically as it is already a notable hiking destination, has developed cycling routes through the forest, and already hosts the 4th international Evia Island Regatta, with sailing taking center stage.”

Tolo: Star of the 4th Stop of Peloponnese Food Stories

Tolo: Star of the 4th Stop of Peloponnese Food Stories

By Katerina Karsioti

A large crowd, set against the cinematic and idyllic landscape of Tolo, was immersed in the 4th stop of Peloponnese Food Stories | Stories of Flavors, People, and Culture on Friday, September 16, 2022.

The event, held at the Port of Tolo, was co-organized by the Region of Peloponnese, the Municipality of Nafplio, the Argolida Chamber of Commerce, the Tolo Professionals Association, and the Peloponnese Tourism Organization, with support from the Hoteliers Associations of Nafplio and Argos-Mycenae.

The Peloponnese Gastronomy Festival, which continues the highly successful “gastronomic route,” prepared and served a plethora of activities where visitors had the opportunity to indulge.

Specifically, the thematic experience began at 7:00 p.m. with abundant music, an open-air exhibition of local products featuring wine, olive oil, honey, spoon sweets, and regional cheeses; as well as live cooking by guest chefs Charalampos Fanariotis, chef of 3SIXTY Grill Dining based in Nafplio, Nikoleta Talagani, chef of Maria’s Restaurant in Tolo, and Giorgos Faselis, private chef from Kranidi Ermionidas.

Guests also enjoyed specialty cocktails from local bartenders, tastings of wine, honey, and food, while numerous activities were offered for the festival’s younger friends.

The experiential narrative of “Peloponnese Food Stories,” part of a series of initiatives highlighting the gastronomic wealth of each region, left a strong mark in its first edition this year, putting the focus on history, cooking, local products, folklore, culture, and ecotourism.

The event was welcomed by the Regional Governor of Peloponnese, Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, who expressed warm thanks to all co-organizers, the President of the Peloponnese Tourism Organization, Mr. Konstantinos Marinakos, the President of the Argolida Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Fotis Damoulos, the Mayor of Nafplio, Mr. Dimitris Kostouros, the President of Tolo Professionals, Mr. Panagiotis Ioannou, and the Member of Parliament for Argolida, Mr. Giannis Andrianos.

The Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Ms. Anna Kalogeropoulou, stated: “Peloponnese Food Stories puts the gastronomic wealth of the entire region front and center. It is our duty to promote and highlight the Peloponnese land and its local products, which are our ambassadors.”

Ms. Kalogeropoulou continued: “Through the local products, our culture, identity, and history are expressed. The first Peloponnese Gastronomy Festival is a milestone and a unique experiential journey.”

Concluding, the Deputy Regional Governor remarked: “Our goal is the planning and implementation of initiatives involving all productive forces and actively engaging local communities.”

More Information:
Region of Peloponnese
MythicalPeloponnese
Website: https://mythicalpeloponnese.gr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mythicalpeloponnese
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mythicalpeloponnese/

ALWAYS WELCOME, Travel Guide

ALWAYS WELCOME is a 100-page travel guide for Greece in Arabic, created in collaboration with the Hellenic Tourism Organization.

It includes photos and information about various parts of the country, as well as an interview with the then Minister of Tourism.

Греция сегодня, Travel Guide

Греция сегодня is a 100-page travel guide for Greece in Russian, created in collaboration with the Hellenic Tourism Organisation.

It includes photos and information about various parts of the country, as well as an interview with the then Minister of Tourism.

GRIECHENLAND HEUTE, Travel Guide

Griechenland Heute is a 100-page travel guide for Greece in German, created in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

It includes photos and information about various parts of the country, as well as an interview with the then Minister of Tourism.

2014 edition.

Journalistic mission to the Lesvos Geopark, a member of the UNESCO World Geoparks

Tourism Media & Events, in collaboration with the Museum of Natural History of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, organised a press fam trip. Its aim was to present the special natural environment and monuments of Lesvos which has been recognised as a World Geopark by UNESCO.

The group of journalists visited Lesvos from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 June 2020. Throughout their stay in Lesvos, the journalists were accompanied by Professor Nikos Zouros, President of the Hellenic & World Geoparks of UNESCO and Director of the Museum of Natural History of the Petrified Forests as well as its executives.

The rich tour program included an acquaintance with the Petrified Forest, the cultural monuments of the island, its gastronomy and the options for alternative tourism activities in Lesvos. At the same time, their program included meetings with local government and tourism agencies.

 

Tour of the city of Mytilene

Journalists had the opportunity to tour the city of Mytilene accompanied by journalist Stratis Balaska and get to know its long history as it is recorded through its monuments.

They also met with the President of the Lesvos Chamber, Mr. Evangelos Myrsinias, and discussed the situation and prospects of tourism development for the utilisation of the natural and cultural wealth of Lesvos and the various tourist activities it offers for visitors to the island.

 

Acquaintance with the Fossil Forest of Lesvos and the new works for the protection and promotion of fossils in the Fossil Forest Park

The journalistic mission, starting from Mytilene, crossed Lesvos in order to get to know the natural environment, landscapes and natural monuments of the island; the Geras Bay with its wetlands, the geotopes and hot springs in Therma, the main pine forest of their trapezoidal pine geopolitics of the ocean of Tethys, the wetlands of Kalloni, the volcanoes of central Lesvos, the Petrified Forest and the Museum of Natural History in Sigri.

They toured and were informed about the natural wealth of Lesvos and visited the wetland of the Gulf of Kalloni, the Petrified Forest Park, the new fossil carriers along the new road Kalloni – Sigri, the Museum and Skala Eressos.

They were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor for Volunteers, Culture and Youth, Mrs. Sugar Joachim and welcomed them on behalf of the Mayor of West Lesvos Mr. Taxiarchis Verros.

At the wetland of Kalloni Bay, they were informed by Mrs. E. Galinou, Environmentalist for the flora and fauna of Lesvos, which has contributed to the fact that Lesvos is considered a destination for bird watching and hundreds of bird watchers visit it every year.

Afterwards, they had the opportunity to see the protected area of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos and to visit the Park of the Petrified Forest. In recent years, special work has been carried out in the area of the Park to protect and highlight the fossil sites, which have led to the emergence of dozens of fossilised tree trunks of great scientific value under the Act “Maintenance and Promotion of Fossil Forest of Lesvos – Main Fossilized Area”.

At the Petrified Forest Park, they wandered among the standing and declining fossilised tree trunks that are 20 million years old and learned about the geological processes and phenomena that contributed to its creation.

They were impressed by the largest standing fossilised tree trunk in the world. It is a sequoia tree, with excellent preservation of the morphological features of a height of 7.02 meters and a perimeter of 8.58 meters.

At the Museum of Natural History of the Petrified Forest, they toured the permanent exhibition space of the Museum and showed special interest in the exhibits, discussing how to create the Petrified Forest and the techniques applied during the excavation and maintenance of the findings.

They got to taste the gastronomy of Lesvos through unique traditional dishes. The Women’s Association of Mesotopos offered journalists unique culinary experiences with delicacies specially prepared by the women of the Association with traditional products of the region. They were informed by the President Mrs. E. Pizza for the actions of the Agrotourism Associations of Lesvos for the promotion of its unique products.

They visited Skala Eressos where they were welcomed by the President of the Eresos Development and Promotion Agency Mr. Panagiotis Mantzoros and the Vice President Mrs. Ioanna Savva, who informed them about the actions of the Agency for the development of alternative forms of tourism in the region.

They referred to the cooperation with the Museum and the organisation of sports activities, the walking routes, the women’s festival, etc.

As it was emphasised, Eressos with its wonderful beach is an ideal destination for summer getaways.

Tour of Petra and Molyvos

On Sunday, June 28, the journalists visited V. Lesvos, where they had the opportunity to get to know the geological and cultural monuments of Petra and Molyvos.

Initially, they visited the traditional settlement of Petra, where they were welcomed and discussed on tourism issues by the Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Mrs. Aphrodite Vati and the Deputy Mayor for Administrative Services, Mr. Costas Pappos, who accompanied the journalists throughout their visit to the area.

They toured the traditional settlement of Petra and visited the church of Agios Nikolaos, climbed the impressive volcanic gorge on which the church of Panagia Glykophilousa is built and were informed about the tourist infrastructure of the area.

Then they visited the traditional settlement of Molyvos and the imposing Byzantine Castle. From the area of the Castle they had the opportunity to observe the great volcano of Lepetymnos, which created the impressive landscape of the area.

They then met with Mr. Nikos Molvalis, President of the Molyvos Tourism Agency and had the opportunity to get acquainted with the problems but mainly the possibilities that the area offers for its visitors and the efforts of the Agency to attract tourists.

Greek Tourism Workshops 2015-2019

The Greek Tourism Workshop events, organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, have historically been a success, and they are now an institution in the countries where they are warmly embraced by travel agents and tour operators, due to the many years of experience and specialised knowledge of the organisers.

Tourism Media & Events, in collaboration with Mideast Travel Worldwide, an award-winning travel agency that has been successfully operating in the Greek and international tourism market for the past 37 years, is organising the Greek Tourism Workshops.

Their purpose is to promote the tourist product of Greece with targeted business meetings between Greek representatives (private tourism companies and public bodies) and representatives of the local tourism market (travel agents and tour operators) in the markets of Saando, Lebanon, I. Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The competitive advantage of the events, lies in the fact that their main goal is to attract high-income visitors from the tourist markets in which it operates.

The choice of the countries is based on the one hand on the interest of local travel agents for Greece as a tourist destination and on the other, the demand of Greek Entrepreneurs and Tourist Factors for B2B meetings in order to attract visitors from these promising tourist markets.

In the aforementioned countries, each Greek Tourism Workshop event is the only one of its kind that exclusively promotes Greece as a tourist destination.

After the B2B meetings, the participants saw immediate results, as those local agents involved are looking for permanent partners, emphasising the current tourist year, responding to the high interest of their customers for Greece.

The companies were being promoted during the events in the printed material and posters, with video in the area of ​​B2B meetings and with promotional material in the bag given by the secretariat to all those who will attend.

The evenings closed with a raffle for gifts during the official dinner.

Since 2015, the following events have been organised.

Iran 16/02/2015

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Tehran

Iran 16/02/2016

2nd Greek Tourism Workshop in Tehran

Honorary speaker: Ms. Elena Kountoura, Deputy Minister of Tourism

Abu Dhabi 29/05/2016

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Abu Dhabi

Lebanon 21/10/2016

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Lebanon

Phoenicia InterContinental Beirut

Kuwait 22/03/2017

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Kuwait

Sheraton Kuwait Hotel

Abu Dhabi 23/04/2017

2nd Greek Tourism Workshop in Abu Dhabi

Beach Rotana Hotel

Jeddah 05/04/2017

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Jeddah

Park Hyatt Hotel, Lazurde Meetings & Events Center

Lebanon 10/05/2017

2nd Greek Tourism Workshop in Lebanon

Mövenpick Hotel & Resort Beirut

India 22/01/2018

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in India

The Park Hotel, Parliament Street, New Delhi

Kuwait 20/02/2018

2nd Greek Tourism Workshop in Kuwait

Sheraton Kuwait, a Luxury Collection

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 21/03/2018

3rd Greek Tourism Workshop in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Riyadh Marriott Hotel

U.A.E. 21/04/2018

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Dubai, USA

InterContinental Dubai – Festival City

Lebanon 02/05/2018

3rd Greek Tourism Workshop in Beirut, Lebanon

The Bridge

Jordan 21/11/2018

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Jordan (Amman)

India 22/01/2019

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in India (Mumbai)

The St. Regis Mumbai Hotel

Lebanon 20/02/2019

4th Greek Tourism Workshop in Lebanon (Beirut)

Saudi Arabia 27/03/2019

3rd Greek Tourism Workshop in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)

Qatar 10/04/2019

1st Greek Tourism Workshop in Qatar (Doha)

Greek Hospitality awards 2015-2019

In a brilliant ceremony, in the presence of 510 executives of the Greek hotel industry, the 5th consecutive awards ceremony of the “Greek Hospitality Awards 2019” took place on February 22, 2019.

The event took place at the Athenaeum InterContinental, with the participation of more than 200 hotels and tourism companies.

The institution of Greek Hospitality Awards rewards excellence in the field of Greek hotels, through a meritocratic process, in which the Evaluation Committee and the public both participate.

The awards are under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, the Hellenic Tourism Organization, TIF Helexpo, the GEPOET , the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation and the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies HATTA.

510 companies participated and the top awards Top Greek Hotel 2019, Top Greek Resort 2019 and 6 honorary distinctions were awarded.

Mr. Ntigrintakis and Mrs. Nikoltsiou presented the awards, welcoming the guests, stating that the Greek Hospitality Awards 2019 are coming to reward and promote hotel companies, tourist offices and suppliers from the hospitality industry which innovate and offer creative solutions.

Mrs Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism and MP Mrs Olga Kefalogianni also addressed a greeting.

GREEK HOSPITALITY AWARDS 2018
With a brilliant ceremony in a packed hall of 400 people, the awards ceremony of the Greek Hospitality Awards 2018 took place on Friday, February 23, 2018, organised for the 4th consecutive year.

The event took place at Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso, with the participation of 149 hotels and tourism companies in the process, which were evaluated by a jury and the reading public of the magazine MONEY.

The awards are under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, the Hellenic Tourism Organization, DETH Helexpo, the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies and the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation.

Mr. Ntigrintakis and Mrs. Alevizou presented the awards, welcoming the guests.

Indicative of the dynamic of the Greek Hospitality Awards 2018 is the fact that the winners of the awards are then sent over to the Tour Operators Association of Russia, the Association of Tourist Agents of Great Britain, the Association of Tourist Offices of Germany and all tourist offices which participate in the Tourism Workshop 2018 in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon.

Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mrs. Evridiki Kourneta, Secretary General of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Mr. Athanasios Bouras, Deputy Head of Economy and Development, Attica MP ND also addressed the gathering.

GREEK HOSPITALITY AWARDS 2017
The Greek Hospitality Awards 2017 awards were completed with success, having taken place for the 3rd consecutive year with the participation of important hotels and a total of 14,722 votes.

Mrs. Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism and Mr. Manos Konsolas, Member of Parliament for the Dodecanese, Head of the Tourism Department of ND, Associate Professor, University of the Aegean also addressed the event.