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)

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.

TripAdvisor: Two Greek beaches in top 25 in the world

Greek beaches continue to amaze people from all over the world with their beauty, and the famous American travel website Tripadvisor has included two of them on their list of the World’s Top 25 Beaches for this year.

Balos and Elefonissi in Crete, were voted among TripAdvisor’s 25 best in the world for 2019, according to the online travel and tourism platform’s users.

Greek Museums, Archaeological Sites to Have Extended Hours Beginning April 1

Several major Greek museums and archaeological sites will remain open for longer hours as of April 1, the country’s Ministry of Culture said earlier this week.

The museums and sites will be equipped with more seasonal staff to cope with the additional hours of operation.

This move comes as Greece is seeing a constant increase in its tourist arrivals, something which adds significant numbers of visitors to the country’s museums and sites.

So, as of Monday, April 1, the site of the Acropolis and the Knossos Palace in Crete will be open from 8 AM until 6 PM (local time).

The Peloponnese’s Epidaurus and its museum, the site and museum of Mycenae, the site of Tiryns, and the Palamidi fortress overlooking the city of Nafplio will be open from 8 AM until 7 PM.
The ancient site of Delphi will be open from 8 AM until 7 PM.
 The Palace of the Grand Magister and the site of Lindos on Rhodes will both be open from 8.30 AM until 5 PM.

The rest of the archaeological sites and museums of the country will continue operating from 8:30 AM to 4 PM, until more staff is hired to cover additional hours.
In its announcement, the Ministry of Culture noted that “the process of hiring seasonal guards and cleaning crews for the archaeological sites and museums of Athens is ongoing. It is expected to be completed by April 15, when the expanded schedule of 8 AM to 8 PM will be introduced.”

With information from AMNA
(greek reporter)