Πέμπτη 18 Απριλίου 2019

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)

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)

Mediterranean Cooking: Spring vegetable stew

By: Elias Mamalakis | | Meals, Mediterranean Cooking

Spring in a dish! Try this light, vegetarian recipe and you will love the way all flavors mix together.

Serves: 5 Prep. time: 20′ Cooks in: 50′ Ready in: 1:10′

Ingredients
10 large artichokes, prepared
1 kg fresh peas, prepared
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dill, finely chopped
10 spring onions, finely chopped
300 g tinned tomatoes, finely chopped
200 ml tomato juice
1 tbsp sugar
salt, black pepper

Method

Step 1
In a large pan heat oil on medium heat and cook spring onions until shiny. Add peas and artichokes and stir for 1 minute. Add all tomato and a little water to cover peas.

Step 2
Stir in sugar, season with salt and pepper, cover with lid and cook for 40-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens. Before you remove pan from heat, stir in dill and extra salt or pepper if necessary. Serve warm with crusty bread and some feta cheese.

Photo: George Drakopoulow – Food styling: Elena Jeffrey