“Maestro”, the highly successful Greek series of director and actor Christoforos Papakaliatis, that is currently airing on MEGA channel, is coming to Netflix.

The popular streaming platform recently bought the worldwide rights, as announced on Tuesday. The drama series, which Papakaliaatis wrote, directed, and starred in, will air in Greece and Cyprus on December 19, 2022, on Netflix. It will then premiere for the first time to audiences worldwide in early 2023.

Papakaliatis stated: ”I hold Maestro very close to my heart and I feel deeply honored and happy that this story will travel around the world through Netflix. I’m looking forward to this journey.”

Maestro: a story of passion and conflict

In the nine episodes of “Maestro”, Christoforos Papakaliatis narrates a story of passion and conflict. A cast of talented actors embodies multidimensional heroes, through whom the creator attempts to open discussions on societal matters.

In the story, Orestes travels to a small Greek island during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to set up, from scratch, a music festival. Confronted with the small society of the island, he will find himself involved in a passionate love story that will act as the catalyst for the manifestation of all the social problems that plague an entire group of people. The characters are connected to one another and therefore each complicit in what comes next.

Speaking about the series in September, Papakaliatis said: ”I am very proud of this project because I think that artistically it is a unique moment, not only for me but for everyone who was involved. ”

Maestro is produced by MEGA TV and stars Christoforos Papakaliatis, Maria Kavoyianni, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Fanis Mouratidis, Antinoos Albanis, Giannis Tsortekis, Kora Karvouni, and Haris Alexiou.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

Athens won two significant awards at the World Travel Awards 2022, showing the strength of the Greek capital in the global tourism market.

Athens was crowned Europe's Leading Cultural City Destination 2022, and This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau won Europe's Leading City Tourist Board 2022. The awards were announced at the Europe Gala Ceremony 2022 in Mallorca, Spain, on October 1, 2022.

The World Travel Awards are regarded as the Oscars of tourism, serving to acknowledge, reward, and celebrate excellence across all industry sectors. Votes come from professionals in the travel and tourism sector and travelers themselves. This year’s voting process hit a new record with 2.3 million votes cast online.

The award naming Athens as Europe's Leading City Tourist Board 2022 is a testament to the strategy of the City of Athens for the management and promotion of the city as a visitor destination. This holistic approach is paying dividends by increasing the number of visitors arriving in Athens each year. The award also signifies the city’s upward course in the global meetings industry. Athens ranked 6th in Europe and 8th worldwide for international association meetings according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Annual Report 2021.

The CEO of Athens Development & Destination Management Agency, Epaminondas Mousios, accepted the awards on behalf of Athens during the Gala Ceremony in Mallorca, noting “The City of Athens is working hard to make Athens an ideal destination both for locals and visitors. This recognition confirms that we have the right strategy for a sustainable, resilient, and accessible city and highlights the effectiveness with which This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau can manage and promote the tourism product of Athens.”

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com

The Greek island of Karpathos in the south Aegean Sea is included in National Geographic’s annual list of the world’s 25 most impressive, “breathtaking destinations for 2023.” 

 

Karpathos is the only area in Greece included in National Geographic’s subcategory of preserving local communities. 

 

National Geographic refers to the island of the Dodecanese as an amazing and beautiful place, where businesses owned by women lead the way in sustainable tourism. 

 

“The Greek island of Karpathos, a growing center of ecotourism, features striking landscapes surrounded by the Aegean Sea.The isle is part of the Dodecanese archipelago, one of Nat Geo’s Best of the World destinations for 2023,” it is noted. 

 

In the same subcategory on the extensive National Geographic list are Milwaukee, Alberta in Canada, Laos, and Ghana, while 20 more destinations in Europe, Africa, America, and Asia follow in the categories of nature, adventure, family, and culture.

Originally published on: keeptalkinggreece.com

The beach of Chiliadou in Evia is in the running for the Best European Location Award 2022 by the European Network of Film Commissions (EUFCN), according to an announcement by the Hellenic Film Center and following a proposal by its Directorate for International Audiovisual Productions.

 

This is the second time a Greek location has reached the finals of the annual European Film Location Award. It should be noted that Corfu won the award in 2019 when it hosted the filming of the British series "The Durrels."

 

During the pandemic, Chiliadou was the location for the award-winning film "Triangle of Sadness,"  starring Charbli Dean, Harris Dickinson, and Woody Harrelson. The Greek production company Heretic was also involved. The natural landscape of Chiliadou became one of the film’s protagonists, playing a huge part in its atmosphere and aesthetic character. The film won a Golden Palm at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

 

 

From November 28, 2022, until January 30, 2023, the public can visit the EUFCN European platform and vote for their preferred location. You can vote for Chiliadou here. 

 

The winner of the EUFCN Location Award 2022 for Best European Filming Location of the year will be revealed at the European Film Market 2023 in Berlin.

 

The five nominated locations for the 2022 Award are: 

• Brissago Islands for the film "Dawn Chorus" – Ticino Film Commission (Switzerland) 
• Chiliadou Beach for the film "Triangle of Sadness" – Hellenic Film Commission (Greece) 
• Portsoy for the series "Peaky Blinders (Season 6)" - Screen Scotland (Scotland)
• Schlosshotel Kronberg for the film "Spencer" – Film Commission Hessen (Germany) 
• Stari Grad district for the film "How I Learned To Fly" – (Croatia)

Originally published in Greek on: kathimerini.gr

Translated by: Codico Lab

Greece once again tops the list of Mediterranean countries for overall tourist satisfaction, according to the latest data indices.

The so-called general satisfaction index (GRI), based entirely on customer feedback, is especially encouraging for Greek tourism, as it continues to recover from two years of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Calculated by ReviewPro and processed by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), the GRI for Greece in 2022 was 87%, with Cyprus in second place at 85.6%. The index, which gathers its data from hundreds of social media platforms, hotel review websites and online travel agents, analyzes a range of comparative indicators, inlcuding hotels, service, food and drink, entertainment, hotel cleanliness, location, and value-for-money. A score above 80% indicates a positive experience.

While Greece continues to top the general satisfaction index, it is facing stiff competition in other categories from some of its closest neighbours, including Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, and Turkey.

As of November this year, while Greece ranks first in general satisfaction for hotels (86.8%) and service (89.1%), for example, Cyprus snatched first place for hotel cleanliness (91.8%), and Turkey topped the food and drink category (84.3%). Greece achieved third place in both categories, with scores of 90.6% and 82.7% respectively.

Turkey also topped this year’s list for location (90.4%) and value-for-money (86.8%), with Cyprus in second place in both. As other countries continue to narrow the gap, it’s clear that those working in the Greek tourist industry will need be at the top of their game as we head into 2023.

Originally published on: greece-is.com

Leaving behind the pandemic, with travel having fully recovered, more and more people are looking for destinations to visit in the new year, and the New York Times, as they do every year, made suggestions.

At the top of its list of proposed destinations for 2023 is London, with the NYT noting that the bustling city is preparing for the coronation of King Charles.

The American newspaper in its list chooses destinations that are ideal for their cuisine, culture, for adventure or thanks to their natural beauty.

Regarding our country for the New York Times, Methana is one of the places one should visit in 2023, which ranks 39th on the list.

"Athens’s nearest active volcano, Methana, sits on a peninsula of the same name some 30 miles southwest of the Greek capital. Though largely unknown to tourists, the area is slowly evolving, in part because of its increasing popularity as a hiking destination.

"In recent years, groups of locals have managed to reopen and map old walking paths, some of which date back to the Mycenaean Era, creating hiking trails that attract visitors from around the world. (So far, more than 18 miles have been cleared and marked.)

"The Methana Volcano Challenge, first organized in 2021, offers a trail run across the peninsula’s sloping landscape.

"Visitors to this volcanic peninsula can also enjoy several hot springs, the most interesting of which is an ancient (and recently renovated) tub known as the Pausanias Baths near the village of Agios Nikolaos."

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com

Meteora, in the Greek region of Thessaly, is included as one of the world’s must-visit destinations on the 2023 Travel List published recently by French newspaper Le Monde.

Founded in 1944, the daily afternoon newspaper is considered France’s most trusted national newspaper, according to a 2021 Reuters Institute poll, operating a website among the country’s 50 most visited and can be easily obtainable in many non-French-speaking countries.

Le Monde’s annual Top 20 list for 2023 includes Meteora in the sixth place, referring to it as “the suspended islands” due to its unique geological landscape shaped millions of years ago, when the sea covering the area gave way to dry land creating the famed UNESCO Word Heritage site.

The newspaper’s journalist Bénédicte Bocays mentions Meteora as a family of “limestone giants” that are home “to monasteries built between the 14th and 16th century”. Bocays visited the area last year during a fam trip organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization’ (GNTO) branch in France.

Furthermore, Yoanna Sultan-R’bibo, Le Monde’s editor responsible for its travel, design and gastronomy sections, says that Meteora is the “second most popular site in Greece after the Acropolis in Athens“. She adds that the area is ideal for walking tours starting from the nearby town of Kalambaka and continuing up to the “incredible” seven-century-old cave monasteries.

The newspaper’s travel feature on Meteora also offers a detailed description of the area, emphasizing on its historical and cultural heritage. Useful information for those interested in organizing a trip to the region is also included.

Originally published on: news.gtp.gr

The Saronic island is among the UK newspaper’s top 23 travel destinations this year, thanks to two major Hollywood productions.

“It’s easy to see why there’s a buzz about Spetses,” the UK newspaper says, noting that in the last two years, the small Saronic island has been the location for two major Hollywood productions: “The Lost Daughter,” starring Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, and Netflix’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” featuring Daniel Craig, famous for his 15-year stint as James Bond, 007.

The article also references the iconic Poseidonion Grand Hotel, which is featured in the opening scene of the trailer for “Glass Onion.” Overlooking the waterfront, the luxury 5-star hotel, which first opened in 1914, oozes style and sophistication. It’s easy to see why it became such a popular haunt for Athenian high society and European aristocracy throughout the 20th century.

Famous for its old-fashioned charm, neo-classical architecture and horse-drawn buggies (private vehicles are prohibited within town limits), Spetses is anticipating even more visitors in 2023, according to the article. “We’re all feeling blessed to live here,” says Yannis Manitaras, aged 74, who was born and bred on the island.

And despite its burgeoning popularity as a holiday destination, the article notes there are still relatively affordable places to stay, including several cheap B&Bs.

To read this article in full, please visit: greece-is.com

Athens, Rhodes and Milos are the three Greek destinations competing with popular cities in Europe for the title of “European Best Destination 2023”.

The competition is being held for the 14th consecutive year by the Brussels-based organization European Best Destinations (EBD), in collaboration with Europe’s leading tourist agencies, which aims to promote culture and tourism.

A total of 21 cities in Europe have been shortlisted and are competing for the title this year including London, UK; Vienna, Austria; Toledo, Spain; Essen, Germany; Warsaw, Poland; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Athens: A contemporary metropolis with an urban personality

EBD: “Birthplace of philosophy, democracy and drama, the city of Athens is not only an open-air museum of world-class cultural heritage attractions but also a contemporary metropolis with an urban personality.”

Athens in 2022 was announced the 15th Best European Destination, with Ljubljana in Slovenia, winning the title. In 2016, the Greek capital was considered the 2nd Best European Destination after Zadar in Croatia.

EBD: “One of the world’s oldest cities with a recorded history of 3,500 years, the Greek capital is constantly undergoing urban renewals to keep up with the evolution of time. Athens lives up to all the hype!”

Rhodes: A perfect destination for lovers of heritage

EBD: “The island of Rhodes is a perfect destination for lovers of old stones, heritage, fortresses and castles. When visiting Rhodes do not miss The Ancient Acropolis of Lindos, the historic Rhodes Old Town, explore the Palace of the Grand Master or just relax in Agios Pavlos beach.”

Milos: One of the best places for a dream holiday

EBD: “Milos Island is one of the best places for a dream holiday in Greece that you classified among the best natural pools in Europe, Best beaches in Europe (Sarakiniko Beach and its famous volcanic rocks which offer sunbathers a lunar scenery). It is also classified among the Best Sculptures in Europe with the Venus of Milo now exhibited in Paris and discovered by a peasant on the island of Milos in Greece by pure chance. Finally Milos is obviously ranked among your best islands in Greece.”

The voting for the prestigious label takes place online until February 10.

To cast your vote, please click HERE.

To read this article in full, please visit: news.gtp.gr

Greece is among the world’s top 10 luxury destinations this summer, according to the “Holiday Habits Luxury Travelers Guide 2023” released by Condé Nast Johansens.

More specifically, the annual study placed Greece among the world’s leading destinations for luxury travelers. The list also includes the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, Croatia, the United States, and the Caribbean.

Study findings also reveal that 38 percent of luxury travelers said they plan to spend an average of 8,000 euros on their holidays in the coming months. Overall, luxury travelers take three to four vacations a year generating up to 32,000 dollars in revenues annually.


To read this article in full visit news.gtp.gr