Greece 5th top holiday preference for German tourists in 2015!

The data was announced by DW in an article previewing next month’s influential ITB tourism exhibition in Berlin

German tourists are apparently ignoring whatever political debate over a recent Greek deal with eurozone creditors — as well as Bild’s “yellow sheets” — and looking ahead to the summer, with Greece the fifth favorite destination if judged by pre-bookings.
The data was announced by DW in an article previewing next month’s influential ITB tourism exhibition in Berlin.

“There’s no indication that Germans are less inclined to travel to Greece due to the new political situation there,” according to the president of the German Travel Association (DRV), Norbert Fiebig.
He referred to a 10-percent increase in bookings, compared the same period last year, speaking at a press conference on Thursday.
The same trend is reported by Thomas Cook, which cited a robust number of bookings for the Greek market this summer, while TUI also stressed that politics is not affecting its clients’ preferences, something echoed by DER Touristik.
(source:protothema)

Everything changed... Except the unique Cretan landscape!

The website British Pathé takes us on a trip on 1964′s Crete with a video that include a look at the many attractions on the island of Crete.

"Various shots of tourists water skiing or lying on the beach in swimsuits and eating in restaurants. Various shots of the seashore caves where locals live in the summer. Various shots as they harvest grain, bake bread and weave outside. There are also shots of windmills in the fields and men milking goats.

People play the lyre and dance in a circle. Various shots of the ruined palace at Knossos including the pots, and paintings on the walls. Several more shots of holidaymakers on the beach."

The website British Pathé takes us on a trip on 1964′s Crete with a video - See more at: http://www.ellines.com/en/good-news/12222-spanio-binteo-me-ti-zoi-stin-kriti-to-1964/#sthash.AvCZ0dFQ.dpuf

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Greece isn’t just about the islands you know!

Only in Greece, paradise is awaiting!!

See you.. in Greece

Greek Breakfast Aims To Benefit Tourism

Greek Breakfast is becoming a trend. It’s being talked about everywhere, in gastronomy schools, in Greek society, by foreign travel agents!!

 “‘Greek Breakfast’ is growing into the most innovative initiative in gastronomy while serving as a fresh action for the promotion of Greek tourism. At a time when activities in gastronomy serve as strategic choices, we hope to take initiatives to develop and promote other sectors and products of Greece’s primary production to the benefit of Greek society,'' Giorgos Pittas, Hellenic Chamber of Hotels representative, supervisor of “Greek Breakfast” program, said.

ETC: Greece Welcomes Most Arrivals in Southern and Mediterranean Europe in 2014

Greece led growth in Southern and Mediterranean Europe last year with a 22 percent increase in arrivals, the European Travel Commission (ETC) said in its recently released European Tourism 2014 – Trends & Prospects (Q4/2014) report.
According to the quarterly report, Greece’s tourism growth was driven by the recovery of business travel and price convenience.
Also, the ETC revealed that Greece was the second strongest performer among the 10 ETC members in terms of arrivals growth in Europe last year, after Iceland (24,1 percent).
“The recovery in Greece continues… Hotel data for Athens support the idea that business demand is partly responsible for this performance, reducing the recent reliance on the Greek islands for growth. Greece should continue to grow if its economy grows in 2015 as it did in 2014, however, uncertainty relating to its status within the EU may act as a stumbling block”.
Following Greece, ETC members that reported strong arrivals growth include Latvia (15 percent), Serbia (12 percent), Romania (11 percent) and the Czech Republic (11 percent).

European tourism in 2015

The UN agency for tourism, UNWTO, has estimated that the European tourism sector grew by four percent last year, reaching a total of 588 million visits, a 22 million increase compared to 2013. For the fifth consecutive year, international tourism in the region has grown above the 2.4 percent average rate forecast for the period 2010-2025.
According to the ETC, factors that contributed to a successful year include the recovery of major source markets, marketing efforts in promoting travel outside the main season and themed promotional activities. Also, many destinations benefitted from increased travel from Europe’s top markets, such as France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
The ETC said that a number of factors bode well for another positive year in Europe’s tourism sector but that “dark clouds may be gathering over the waters on which European tourism is sailing and slow down its growth”.
For 2015, the ETC expects the European tourism sector to continue at a cruising speed around its long-term annual average growth, forecast at a rate between two and three percent.
(source:gtp)

Greek Tourism Experts Hopeful About 2015

Tourism professionals are optimistic that 2015 will be a fruitful year, expecting even more arrivals to the country compared to last year.
Attributing the positive trend to the implementation of a far-reaching tourism strategy, president of the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers (HHF) Yiannis Retsos told the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels general assembly last week that it is not a random success story but one based on consistency and attention to quality.
Retsos said the strategy, based on a McKinsey study, involves investments amounting to 3.3 billion euros annually in infrastructure, hotels, marinas, etc. including an increase in the number of hotel beds from 770,000 today to 900,000 in the coming years.
Retsos told the Athens News Agency that in the period 2010-2014, 696 new hotels opened their doors to the public, 73 percent of which moved into the top three categories. According to chamber figures, the number of five star hotels in Greece has tripled since 1990 from 4.8 percent to 14.8 percent in 2014.
According to the general assembly results, bookings from Germany seem to have stopped, compared to a 15 percent rise in bookings from the UK with major losses estimated at approximately 50 percent expected from Ukrainian and Russian markets.
In the meantime, despite the favorable exchange rate, Turkey has upped its efforts and become strongly competitive.
(source:gtp)

Crete: The Apokriés, or Carnival season in Rethymno, Brings Thousands of Tourists...

Since 1914 beautiful Renaissance Rethymnon has been celebrating the carnival with its many humoristic events. A carnival of another era leaving behind its nostalgic aroma of romantic balls and the Rethymnians through laughter and their comical antics paying their tribute to "His Excellence, The King of the Carnival."
The Treasure Hunt, an old custom dating back to when the Carnival of Rethymno began about a century ago, was the reason for the creation of 'teams' in 1990, which would give birth once again to this age-old tradition.
In 1993, the Municipality of Rethymnon decided to help fund this popular event and requested the teams to take on the challenging task of creating and organising the Carnival of Rethymnon, which has become the most popular and famous Carnival of Crete!

 The whole town becomes one big party: for almost a whole month, the city plays host to a succession of fun-filled celebrations, bringing together locals and visitors who participate in this carnival because they love to enjoy every moment of their lives. You will see groups of people sitting together in traditional cafés (kafeneia) drinking “tsikoudiá” (raki), tasting Cretan titbits and thinking up “mantinádes” (folk couplet songs) on the spot.
The Carnival in Rethymno, an institution with a great history, has withstood the test of time and returns each year full of vigour. It is a superb way to raise your spirits, meet new people and experience an event that is pure magic.

 (source:Plakiassuites 
VisitGreece
RethymnoCarnival)