Greece among top 5 “dream destinations” for US travelers

Greece is among the Top 5 Dream Destinations for US travellers, according to TripAdvisor’s TripBarometer Study.

The TripBarometer study is the analysis of more than 44,000 global responses from travelers and the hotel sector. According to this extensive report, Greece is included in the Top 5 “dream destinations” for U.S. Travelers, along with Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

In the meantime, Greece ranked 8th in the hotelier confidence index in terms of optimism about profitability, room rates and investment priorities.

The online survey was conducted between January 16 and February 2, 2015.

Tirokafteri cheese spread... from Greece.

A delicious, creamy cheese spread from Greece. It is usually served as part of a mezze platter but it can also be enjoyed by itself, with slices of warm bread.

Serves: 1 jar Preparation time: 10m Cooking time: 5m Ready in: 15m
 
A delicious, creamy cheese spread from Greece. It is usually served as part of a mezze platter but it can also be enjoyed by itself, with slices of warm bread.
Ingredients
1 Florina pepper or any sweet pepper
1 -2 chili peppers (depending on how spicy you want the spread to be)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
250 gr. anthotyro, a traditional fresh cheese
250 gr. crumbled feta cheese
A pinch of sweet paprika
Preparation method
Step 1
Remove the seeds from the Florina pepper and the chili peppers and finely chop them.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute until tender.
Step 3
Place the anthotyro cheese and crumbled feta cheese in a blender. Add the sautéed peppers with the oil from the pan and the paprika and process the ingredients until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Step 4
Keep the cheese spread refrigerated in a glass jar, pouring a little oil on the surface from time to time.
Source: Olive magazine
Chef: Ioanna Stamoulou
Photo: George Drakopoulos
Food Styling: Tina Webb

Top 20 most Googled destinations in Greece (see tables)

The powerful company released interesting data with regard to the way travelers worldwide research their trips.

 
During an event that was organized by Google to announce the expansion of its innovative “Grow Greek Tourism Online” program, the powerful company released interesting data with regard to the way travelers worldwide research their trips.
According to the data presented by Google, most travelers that search Greek destinations online come from UK, Germany and USA.

Moreover, the 20 most googled regions in Greece include the country’s two biggest cities, namely Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as popular islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Paros and Crete.
See the full list below:
1. Athens
2. Thessaloniki
3. Thessaly
4. Peloponnese
5. Corfu
6. Lefkada
7. Zakynthos
8. Skiathos
9. Lesbos
10. Chios
11. Andros
12. Mykonos
13. Paros
14. Naxos
15. Patmos
16. Kos
17. Santorini
18 Rodos
19. Karpathos
20. Crete
 
Google’s “Grow Greek Tourism Online” program is a project that aims to provide enterprises in Greek tourism with tools that can help boost their businesses over the summer season and beyond. The initiative has been taken to deal with the 70% increased demand for online vacation searches noted from June to September.
The campaign kicked off on the isle of Crete in September with some 650 local tourism businesses trained to use online tools to enhance their tourism growth potential.
The success of the initiative has now led to more destinations. It is expanding to include the Peloponnese, the Cycladic islands, the Ionian islands, Macedonia, the Dodecanese and the Attica region.
(source:protothema)

Oinokritika 2015: A special event for wine lovers

Oinokritika 2015 is held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization.

For the eighth consecutive year the Wineries of Crete invite oenophiles from every corner of the world to the annual wine exhibition “Oinokritika” which will be held at Chania on March 21 and 22, 2015.
During “Oinokritika 2015” (a name which derives from the word oinos, meaning wine and kritika which means Cretan), visitors will have the opportunity to taste some older vintages, discover new wines, talk with the winemakers and learn about the activities organized by the Wines of Crete.
Oinokritika 2015 is held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization.
(source:protothema)

GNTO Partners with TUI Group to Promote Greece to 12 Markets!

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) this year will launch advertising campaigns and a series of actions in partnership with German travel giant TUI Group to promote Greece in 12 markets.
According to a decision approved by the Super-Ministry for Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism, the GNTO and TUI will target the markets of UK & Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine.
The total amount of investment on the Greek side is 985.000 euros and actions will be addressed to both consumers (B2C) and travel agents/partners of TUI (B2B).
The joint campaigns include a set of activities such as online advertising through display campaigns, e-mail marketing and social media campaigns, offline actions via print, TV and/or radio, sales promotion through in-store activities, familiarization trips (FAM trips) for travel agents, etc.
The campaigns per market will vary depending on the available budget, the specific characteristics of potential travelers from each market and the means they use to get informed and book their holidays.
(source:gtp)

Are you ready?? Welcome to Greece...

On Saturday, 28th of March we open for the summer!
http://www.plakiassuites.com/

 
We are counting the days until we open the door to our precious guests...

Greece's 11 least populated islands

There are reasons why we visit the Greek island honeypots of Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete: direct flights, reliable hotels, and buzzing nightlife. But for those willing to make the effort, there are dozens of timewarped islands that offer complete tranquility and a chance to escape the crowds. This is our guide to the least populated of the Greek islands, where transport may well be a donkey rather than a taxi or bus, and the best lesson is learning how to do not very much at all...
By Lizzie Porter (see all the article: Telegraph)