Entitled “Why I Love Greece”, a unique 254-page album was released, written by fifteen correspondents from major media outlets living and working in Greece for years, each one choosing an area of ​​our country they loved the most.

The texts are framed by rich photographic material, both from the favorite areas of the correspondents and important international personalities who visited Greece from time to time.

The album was presented at a special event, held on Monday, February the 4th, at a central hotel in Athens, with  Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Petros Doukas as the official speaker and the participation of writers/correspondents, mayors and their representatives from all 15 regions, as well as and representatives of the Ministry of Tourism Development and tourism agencies of the country.

Mr Doukas described the album as a “valuable tool for promoting Greek tourism”, quoting author Henry Miller as saying that “the easiest thing in the world is to fall in love with Greece”.

The Undersecretary of State said that “Greek tourism will take off when we manage to highlight our ancient culture and the decisive contribution of the ancient spirit to modern Western culture, so that foreigners come here to be taught”.

The correspondents who write in the album, are Kerin Hope (writes about Kardamyli of Messinian Mani), Adriana Flores-Borquez (writes about Chania), John Carr (writes about Epirus), Paul Anastazi (writes about Rhodes), Ayse Ferliel (writes about Kefalonia), Malcolm Brabant (writes about Santorini), Patrick Quinn (writes about Skyros), Didier Kunz (writes about Folegandros), Brian Williams (writes about Andros), John Rigos (writes about Tinos), Nikos Michalian (writes about Mykonos), Furio Morroni (writes about Leros), Yuri Malinov (writes about Evoia), Nigel Lowry (writes about Piraeus), Gillian Whittaker (writes about various parts of Greece).

It is noted that the album is supplemented by photos of international personalities from the file of photojournalist Telis Sarrikostas, who for many years was a photojournalist for the Associated Press and has recorded all the celebrities who visited our country.

Among the photos included in the album, the reader will see the Beatles in 1967 in Arachova, Melina Mercouri with Indira Gandhi in 1983 in Epidavros, Frank Sinatra with his wife in a tavern in Athens, John Wayne 1971 at a nightclub in the capital, Pelé, Arnold Schwarzenegger in front of the Acropolis, Vladimir Putin, Jane Fonda with her husband on the Acropolis, Marlon Brando, Hillary Clinton and dozens more.

As part of the event, the mayors or representatives of the destinations for which the correspondents write, honored the authors with souvenirs and thanked them for promoting their area.

The Municipality of Karystos opened its gates to media representatives of nationwide scope in an effort to promote the tourist destination and stimulate the local economy.

From Friday 12 June until Sunday 14 June, the Municipality of Karystos hosted journalists from “Kathimerini”, “Naftemporiki”, “Elefthero Typo”, “Phileleftheros”, “Proto Thema”, “Real” News”, “Athinorama”,“Athens Voice”, www.tourismtoday.gr, www.liberal.gr, www.capital.gr, www.in.gr, www.tanea.gr, www.news247.gr and from the television and the Radio Station “ALPHA”.

The invited journalists toured the sights of the area, the highlight of which was the visit to the Dragon House and the descent to Dimosari, while also enjoying the famous beaches of Karystos and the local gastronomy.

As part of the acquaintance trip, the first meeting for the development of a Trail Network took place at the Montofoli Estate, in the presence of invited journalists, as well as institutions and representatives of tourism.

The initiative of the Municipality of Karystos to organise, along with Tourism Media & Events the first acquaintance trip was well received by the participants and is actually part of a comprehensive action plan for the promotion and tourism development of the Municipality of Karystos.

The main goal was through this short stay, to bring the journalists in touch with the natural wealth and beauties of Karystos as well as to allow them to taste the quality local products; but mainly to feel, from Marmari and Karystos to Styra and Kafireas, the high level of hospitality of the locals.

With this action, the Municipality of Karystos seeks and expects that this unique experience lived by the media representatives will be transfered to the pages -electronic and printed-, on the radio, but also in the images of the television stations, so that its unique tourist identity can travel around Greece and make its competitive advantages widely known.

The Municipality of Karystos responds with a high sense of responsibility and strategy to the increased needs of the local economy, especially in this difficult period of the economic crisis that the pandemic of COVID-19 brings as a consequence.

In collaboration with professionals from the sectors of of tourism, trade, agricultural production and above all its citizens, the Municipality of Karystos faces with a plan, realism and optimism the new challenges that lay ahead.

And invites all summer travelers to safely “COME OVER”.

The big celebration of Greek-Russian friendship was organized by the Ministry of Tourism and GNTO in the framework of the Moscow International Tourism Exhibition MITT 2018 and was the inaugural artistic event of the Year of Tourism Greece-Russia.

The Year of Tourism Greece-Russia is an initiative of the Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Elena Kountoura, who, in collaboration with the Russian counterpart Mrs. Alla Manilova, proceeded to the restoration of the historical relations of the two peoples through tourism and also the general recovery of the tourist flow from Russia, which had been hit by the Ukrainian crisis and the European embargo on Russia.

Accompanied by a multi-member orchestra and a total of 17 performers, George Dalaras advertised Greek music in the best way possible and excited the audience. It is characteristic that by the end of the concert the audience was dancing in front of the stage and around the square, a rare occurrence for similar concerts in Russia.

Among the guests were hundreds of Russian and Greek tourism agents, executives, directors and owners of travel agencies and companies specialising in tourism to Greece, numerous foreign ambassadors, Russian citizens and expatriates, who are also Greek nationals and the best ambassadors of the country.

Mr. Pavel Ofsyanikov, Russia’s top conductor and head of the Kremlin’s Symphony Orchestra for many years, praised Tourism Minister Mrs. Elena Kountoura for her initiative to introduce Greek music to the Russian public, as the event highlighted. “A top cultural event, a legacy for similar concerts”, he proclaimed.

The reaction of the popular Russian music critic Mr. Vadim Ponomariov through social media was similar; he praised not only the professionalism and the “improvised fountain” of Greek musicians, who turned the audience into a choir, but also described the concert as “the emergence of a great meter, an act of high art”, expressing the hope that new Greek concerts will soon emerge in Russia.