According the Up Greek Tourism team a new project is in the works for the promotion of Greece and her Islands.  “Following the success of our New York and Washington campaigns which was only possible thanks to all your generous support and contributions of the Greek Diaspora, Up Greek Tourism is preparing to land in London’s Piccadilly Circus!”

Currently there is a fundraising campaign going on to finance the new billboard to be featured in London’s most famous circles.   Piccadilly Circus is surrounded by several major tourist attractions, including the Shaftesbury Memorial, Criterion Theatre, London Pavilion and several major retail stores. Numerous nightclubs and bars are located in the area and neighboring Soho, including the former Chinawhite club.

Surely this will be the perfect location to help promote Greece and The Greek Islands this winter.  To contribute to the Up Greek Tourism Fundraising campaign, please visit this link on Loud Sauce to safely contribute with over 7,000 p0unds have been contributed at the time of this post.

Target: £12,000 or more

Media: outdoor campaign on one of Piccadilly Circus’ famous billboards

Plan: funding period throughout December and advertising campaign in February 2013

The creative message will remind London residents about the beauties of Greece as a holiday destination and ask them to visit Greece this summer.

up Greek Tourism More info here 

Like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/UPGreekTourism

Extra, Extra, Read all about it!  The headlines are blaring again about the demise of Greece and how they will be exiting the Euro.  There is much talk of the chaos that will follow and how the country will come to a screeching halt when the Euro stops circulating.  I have news for you; If and when Greece leaves the Euro there is one thing for certain; THE US DOLLAR WILL BUY YOU A LOT MORE ON THE GREEK ISLANDS.  Euros will still be accepted by merchants, however the USD will be the currency of choice for both tourists and merchants alike as it was in the Good old days before the Euro arrived.

The Greek Islands will truly be on sale with a strong dollar if the Greek Drachma returns with Hotel, Ferry & Domestic Airline Tickets plummeting.  Greece will once again be the European destination of choice for many and the Greek cash registers will be once again full.   Financial Institutions, Global Companies, Governments and Greek Treasury have been busy preparing for the day the Drachma makes its reappearance so there is no need to buy into the hype of the CHAOS that will come.  The printing presses are busy in Greece and the only Chaos will be how to carry all the Drachmas around after converting your Dollars when visiting the Greek Islands.

Today I came across a great article from the BBC dated January 01, 2001 touting the Fact that Greece has Joined the Euro Zone.   “The Greek Finance Minister, Ioannis Papandoniou, described it as a historic day that would place Greece firmly at the heart of Europe.”  However, “Some investors have said they are worried the decision to allow Greece to join the euro will send out the wrong signal to financial markets”  Now we must let the chips fall where they may, allowing natural market forces to open up opportunities for visitors and investors alike.  Visit Greece this year and find out why this is one the greatest places on the planet and feel free to bring Euros, Dollars, American Express and maybe even Drachmas.

Basil Boziotis May 17, 2012

According to a recent story in Reuters, Greece’s tourism sector will grow moderately this year, a top United Nations official said on Thursday, in a rare optimistic forecast for the crisis-hit Mediterranean country whose image has been dented by strikes and protests.

Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization said,  “Greece will have a positive growth although not in the same range as 2011,” Rifai told reporters during a visit to Athens, characterizing the growth as “modest.” He went on to say that the impact of the Arab Spring uprisings will not be as strong as they were last year, and efforts by the Greek government to make it easier for tourists from growing markets such as Russia and China to get visas and visit Greece should give the Greek Islands a boost as well.

Greece has launched campaigns to lure German tourists, back to the Greek Islands after the debt crisis deterred many from choosing the Mediterranean nation for vacations last year.

There has been much excitement over a recent campaign launched in New York City by Up Greek Tourism promoting the Greek Islands via a Times Square electronic billboard.  It is critical at this time that the Greek tourist board give Greece and the Greek Islands as much of a boost as possible to get business flowing to its recent historic highs.

courtesy of http://ofgoatsandmen.blogspot.com

Tourism plays a great role in the Greek Economy and with the economy poised to shrink again this year it is a hot topic with Greek Policy makers trying to get Greece and the Greek Islands back in business.  All stake holders involved in Greece’s future understand that Tourism has a central role in growth for the Greek Islands, however only a few thus far have had the courage to undertake the overhaul that the Greek economy needs.  As a result the country which has remained in recession for years will continue this path unless there are drastic changes.

The Geek Economy is FAT, BLOATED and NON PRODUCTIVE and instead of  sending it to an intense boot camp to get it back in shape, policy makers chose to play games tweaking the economy here and there, hoping for the Ancient Gods of Greece to save the economy.    In the recent past they have tried some so called “innovations” on the Greek Tourism front such as:

• Hotel Sales Tax has been cut to help hotels sell rooms
• Simplifying visa procedures for countries such as Ukraine and Russia
• Extending visiting hours at sites such as the Acropolis to accommodate more visitors
• Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) has slashed docking fees for ferry boat operators

These efforts although commendable, are not enough to solve Greece’s problems where tourism accounts for almost 20% of the Greek GDP.  It’s about time that the bureaucratic walls that hinder Greek economic development come crumbling down to pave the way for true economic growth and development.  An article from Fortune Magazine which I came across “5 ways to transform Greece’s economy now” this past week offers some great insight on how to get the Greek economy roaring forward.

“Greece’s problems aren’t all about debt. They’re about competitiveness, and changing the arcane rules in areas from the cruise industry to pharmaceuticals would help it reboot its economy.” the Fortune article States.

• Cruise industry: Open Competition to allow US Cruise Ships and others to Home Port in Athens, expanding the Greek Cruise Industry
  
•  Trucking industry: Enforce recent law to issue more truck licenses to bring down freight shipping costs out of Greece, expanding exports and fueling growth
• Pharmaceuticals:  Lower price of drugs in Greece; a major victory for consumers
• Resort development: Rigid laws that prevent development of real estate; only 6 golf courses in Greece, a Greek Tragedy
• Labor Market:  The take home pay is not the issue, but the system in setting the wages is at fault; the system has been over hauled and now there is hope that it will function in a competitive fashion

These bold steps if taken, will surely propel Greece back to the great historic heights that they are accustomed to.  The rules of the game seem to finally be changing, and now if only the Ancient Greek Gods could enforce the rules, the Greek Islands can return to being the ultimate play ground for us all.

When ever the conversation of traveling to Greece comes up, the majority of time I am asked; is it safe to travel to Greece now with all that is going on there? The constant negative publicity that Greece received during this past year has been unprecedented and has done the destination some serious injustice since the protests have been only concentrated around the Parliament in downtown Athens and life on the islands has remained business as normal through out 2011.   Greece has fared quite well during 2011 and will most likely experience a rise of incoming visitors to the country as compared to 2010.  Strikes have come and gone and as damaging to tourism as they be, the moment they have ended, business resumed as normal almost instantaneously.

I have been selling travel services and tours to Greece during the last three decades and I have witnessed many ups and downs to both the Greek Economy and the political landscape of Greece, however the country always bounced back higher each time after each crisis. So I ask, why would this crisis be any different for this little power house in the Aegean Sea?  Greece is experiencing massive political, economic and structural changes at a hyper speed which will only fuel growth that is usually reserved for economies such as Brazil, India or China in the coming decade.

Although the assumption that Greece has been reduced to a pile of rubble as far as tourism is concerned is the furthest from the truth, damage has been caused to Greece’s image and it may be time for Greece to get their PR machine going over this coming winter.  However, as the saying goes all publicity is good publicity and for those that never considered Greece as a vacation spot, have possibly now put it on their Travel Dream List.  I predict that Greece will soon being making inroad on the list featured below of the top 10 “European” Destinations.

Rank of  International tourist arrivals 2010

1. France 76.80 million
2. Spain 52.68 million
3. Italy 43.63 million
4. UK 28.13 million
5. Turkey 27.00 million
6. Germany 26.88 million
7. Austria 22.00 million
8. Ukraine 21.20 million
9. Russia 20.27 million
10. Greece 15.01 million

stats provided by Wiki