Region of Crete picks up golden tourism award for its social media presence

The region won in the “Digital & Technology” category

The administrative region of Crete picked up a Golden Award at the Tourism Awards 2019 at the Foundation of the Hellenic World, in the category “Digital & Technology”.

The prize was awarded for Crete’s strategic presence in social media, its methodical work, and innovative and smart concepts, as expressed via its “Incredible Crete” accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Michalis Vamiedakis, the region’s appointed advisor received the award on behalf of Crete.

“The integrated campaign of promotion of the Region of Crete in social media has stood out, with the Cretan hospitality, gastronomy, culture, products and especially its people being at the forefront”, he said.

The Tourism Awards were organised by the Hotel & Restaurant of Boussias Communications, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), and Marketing Greece.
(proto thema)

Greece’s 2021-2030 Tourism Plan is Based on 7 Pillars – Minister

Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis on Monday presented the pillars of Greece’s strategic tourism plan for the 2021-2030 period.

“This is a plan based on sustainable development, diversification of the tourism product, season expansion, the emergence of new destinations, the enhancement of the value added product, which will lead to salary raises for the sector’s workforce; and strengthening the country’s image in international markets,” Minister Theoharis said while speaking in parliament.

As underlined by the minister, Greece’s strategic tourism plan for the 10-year period of 2021-2030 is based on seven pillars:

• Adequate access to attract more tourism flows in the coming years.
• Evaluating and improving private infrastructure and its sustainable management and development.
• Evaluating and managing the guest experience and improving public infrastructure.
• The improvement of tourism education and training.
• Product development and promotion.
• Launching collaborations with tourism stakeholders.
• Dealing with gaps in tourism legislation. 

During his speech, the minister referred to successful actions for the country’s tourism since the new government took over.

“Actions that have brought significant deals in the tourism field with the launch of new air routes for 2020, such as the Shanghai-Athens and Bahrain-Mykonos routes,” he said.

Moreover, the minister referred to the announced Doha-Santorini route and to the new strategic investments that recently received the “green light” from the inter-ministerial committee and which are expected to create some 2,000 new jobs in the tourism industry.

Citing data, the minister said that in the nine-month January – September 2019 period, tourism revenue exceeded the revenue recorded throughout 2018. The data also showed that during the corresponding nine-month 2017 period, tourism revenue was down by 200 million euros from the total revenue of 2016. Minister Theoharis added that in the first the nine months of 2018, tourism revenue was 500 million euros less than the revenue recorded for the whole of 2017.

“All this while we managed to manage Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy with provisions for the benefit of businesses and employees,” he said, referring to the rise in tourism revenue this year.

In addition, the minister announced that Greece’s new tourism campaign for 2020 will launch by the Greek National Tourism Organization in January. “This is the first time the country’s tourism campaign is starting so early,” he underlined.

Referring to the ministry’s goals for the new year, the minister underlined the promotion of sustainable tourism as a priority.

“From now the Tourism Ministry will go ‘plastic free’ to pass a message for the environment,” he said.
Also, making major changes to Greece’s tourism education, promoting accessible tourism for people with disabilities, attracting more investments and focusing on new digital tools for the promotion of new businesses are also high on the ministry’s agenda for 2020.
(gtp)

"Beach House Plakias" Rethymno, Crete, Greece (By Plakiassuites)

Finally something different for you , not just a place under your summer rays but the ultimate all day beach bar overlooking the beach Paligremnos .

 

The Beach House is an all-day bar mix, we start the day with fresh orange juice, coffee and delicious brunch and continue with cold and hot snacks, fresh organic Greek salad at the end of the day we offer first class alcohol cocktails.

Beach House
 

  

 

Greece No. 2 on Global ‘Blue Flag’ List with 515 High Quality Beaches

Greece is once again second in the world on the Blue Flag quality award list for beaches, marinas and sustainable tourism boats, according to the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF).

 The country ranked second on the 2019 Blue Flag quality award list among 47 countries with 515 beaches, 15 Greek marinas and four sustainable tourism boats.

Last year 519 Greek beaches, 15 marinas and one sustainable tourism boat were honored.

The iconic Blue Flag is a world-renowned voluntary eco-label, awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators, trusted by millions around the globe.

The program is operated under the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. In Greece, the program’s coordinator is the EEPF.

Greece’s ranking was announced during a special event on Tuesday, held at Vouliagmeni Coast in Athens and attended by many tourism representatives of the state and private sector.

According to EEPF, 12 percent of the newly honored winning beaches, out of the 47 countries that participated in the program, are in Greece.

Moreover, most of Greece’s Blue Flag awards – 92 – went to beaches in Halkidiki, northern Greece.
On a worldwide scale the foundation awarded the international eco-label (blue flags) to 3,797 beaches, 695 marinas and 67 sustainable tourism boats for 2019.

 In order to qualify for the prestigious Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained. “Excellent” water quality for beaches is a main requirement.

The Blue Flag award has a duration of one year. However, EEPF and FEE inspectors often make surprise visits to the country’s award-winning beaches between July and August and marinas all year round in order to check whether the criteria of the Blue Flag program are met.

According to the EEPF, leading international travel agencies and tour operators pay special attention to Blue Flag beaches when choosing the destinations they sell to travelers.

 (source gtp)

New Review on Tripadvisor: "A bijou on the south coast"

"The surveyable complex with five apartments is located at the street, separated from a district road.

 

At the other end of the bay is Plakias. 

 

A small pretty village with restaurants, shops, massage and other offers.  

 

The beach with the clear water is unique ..

 

Plakias Suites offers its own deckchairs for free on the stand.  

 

Beach towels are in the room.  

 

The apartments are modern, bright and comfortably furnished, including a furnished kitchen. 

 

 By the way, we slept well on the  Coco-mat mattresses. 

 

Eleni and George take care of their guests professionally and lovingly.  

 

The area is very easy to explore by car (other bays / beaches / numerous attractions).  

 

Great, relaxing holiday in a beautiful place. 

 

We are happy to come back!"

 

 Reviewed yesterday.

 Stayed: August 2018, travelled with family

 See here: TripAdvisor

 

 Plakiassuites: Ranked #1 of 57 Speciality Lodging in Plakias, Retyhymno - Crete!

  

  115 Reviews Certificate of Excellence

Crete voted 4th best destination in the world for 2019: TripAdvisor Travel Awards

Crete was voted as the fourth best destination in the world in 2019, according to the reviews of millions of travelers from all over the world on TripAdvisor Travel Awards.

The winning destinations emerged from an algorithm based on hotel reviews and ratings, restaurants and travellers’ experiences from around the world over the past 12 months.

The methodology involved assessing the quality and volume of reviews in order to highlight destinations that systematically offered the best experience to tourists.
London, Paris, and Rome took the top three spots in the world based on the platform’s visitors.

In terms of best European rankings among other Greek destinations, Crete (4th) was followed by Santorini in the 11th place on the continent, with Rhodes coming in two spots behind in 13th spot.

On the domestic ranking, the top 10 destinations for 2019 were:
1. Crete
2. Santorini
3. Rhodes
4. Corfu
5. Mykonos
6. Athens
7. Zakynthos
8. Cephalonia
9. Kos
10. Naxos

Greece among the 20 safest countries to travel in 2019, report says

Greece was classified as one of the 20 safest countries in the world to travel in 2019, according to IPK International and ITB report, World Travel Monitor, presented on Wednesday at the ITB Convention.

In contrast, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan were considered to be the least safe destinations fr tourists for 2019.

The report estimates that international tourism will perform marginally worse in 2019 due to the slowdown in global economic growth. Overall, global outbound travel is expected to record an increase of 4% this year, with Asia-Pacific remaining the world leader in terms of growth rates (+ 6%).

The corresponding growth in America is expected to reach 5% and in Europe 3%, a slight deceleration compared to 2018.
Holidays in the sun and the sea, as well as city breaks, were the dominant trends in 2018.
City tourism in the period 2017-2018 recorded an explosive rise of 222%, followed by cruises with a 78% rise.

Hoppa.com: Greece in top-4 destinations in the world for 2019

Greece was among the top destinations for 2019, according to online platform hoppa.com.

These destinations were based on booking data in 2019 compared to the corresponding 2018 data.

The revised data on the platform revealed that Greece was the 4th most popular destination for its users, following last year’s record number of tourists (30 million) who visited the country.

Corfu (24%), Rhodes (19%) and Heraklion (18%) are projected to be the top choices for visitors this season.
Rhodes has a 3% increase in reservations, while Heraklion 4% compared to 2018.

The best time to visit Greece, according to hoppa.com, is the period from Spring to the beginning of the summer (April to mid-June) in autumn (from September to mid-October) when the weather remains warm and the crowds are less.

The list of the top-10 destinations worldwide features:
1. Spain
2. Portugal
3. Turkey
4. Greece
5. Malta
6. US
7. Poland
8. Egypt
9. Bulgaria
10. Italy

Greece the most popular destination from Salzburg: TUI Austria

Crete is the first, followed by Rhodes and Kos

Greece has a dominant position as a tourist destination in the Austrian market, according to booking data from TUI Austria for the summer of 2019.

According to TUI Austria CEO Lisa Weddig, Greece continues to be the most popular destination for the tour operator’s customers departing from Salzburg Airport, which offers 6 flights per week (2 to Crete, 1 to Kos, 1 to Rhodes, 1 to Corfu and 1 to Preveza).

Spain, and especially Mallorca, is also in high demand with daily flights from Salzburg, with 3 new connections this year through Eurowings.

Greece is also the first destination for TUI customers who have booked a departure from Salzburg, with Crete being the first, followed by Rhodes and Kos, in the second and third place, respectively, of their top 5 destinations.

Overall, TUI offers 23 weekly flights from Salzburg to Greece, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, and Corsica.
As Mrs. Weddig points out, there is strong growth in the branded hotels and tour operator concepts.
The TUI flight schedule from Austria this summer will be the most extensive of all time for the organisation.
(protothema)

Greece is the 3rd most popular destination for Germans in 2019: Thomas Cook

Greece is the third most popular vacation destination for the summer of 2019 in Germany, after Spain in the top spot, and Turkey which came in second, according to a trends report by tour operator Thomas Cook.

The data showed that Crete would be the most popular location for German visitors, with Thomas Cook adding new destinations to cover rising demand in islands such as Skiathos, Skopelos, and Thasos.

Spain remained the first pick for Germans for one more year, with the Canary and Balearic Islands, and from the mainland, Mallorca being the undisputed winners.

Greece was the second most popular destination for family vacations.
 
Turkey made a strong comeback as a popular holiday destination for the Germans with a share of about 60% in Neckermann Reisen. However, Egypt (70%), Greece (64%) and Bulgaria (63%) are still ahead.
Great demand was also recorded for personalised services in hotels, such as “My Room” and “My Sun Lounger”, while new extra services for the summer of 2019 are the late check-out until the afternoon, offered in 52 hotels in Spain, Greece, and Turkey.
(protothema)

Crete: Pre-bookings by Russian tourists up by 10%

The region of Crete showcased the beauties of the island at the 26th International Tourism Fair Mitt in Moscow 

 According to the office of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) in Russia, pre-reservations for Greece are up by 10%.

Crete’s pavilion at 26th International Tourism Fair Mitt 2019 in Russia stole the show, which is the largest annual tourist event for Eastern Europe.
The three-day exhibition was attended by more than 22,000 people who had the opportunity to learn about Crete through printed material as well as to taste local dishes and to experience Cretan hospitality.

Crete for Russian tourists is a cultural and historical destination 365 days a year and is in line with the GNTO’s “tourism all year round” strategy.
The Region of Crete was represented by Kyriakos Kotsoglou, Deputy Chief of Administration and E-Governance of the Region of Crete, Maria Lavdaki, Regional Officer of Lassithi Tourism and the Regional Unity of Rethymno, Georgios Pantazis, as well as the tourist guide (Russian) Stamatis Patelaros.

The high level of exposure for the pavilion of the Region of Crete demonstrates the rising interest Crete is drawing as one of the most popular destinations for Russian travellers. The Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura, journalists from major international media, representatives of tourist agencies from mainland Greece, etc. visited the kiosk of the Region of Crete.
(protothema)