Greece has managed to attract up to nine million more tourists (not counting cruise ship arrivals) over the past five years, bringing the country to 14th place on the World Tourism Organization’s list for 2016.

In absolute terms, 15.5 million tourism arrivals were recorded in 2012, which by 2016 reached 24.8 million, the biggest percentage rise of any country in the specific time period.

Mexico followed in second place, with an increase of 49.5% in tourist arrivals between 2012 and 2016, and Thailand in third (45.5%).

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Google has announced that it will fund the research at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on the future of digital journalism.

The research will be carried out by assistant professor of the Department of Journalism and Mass Media, Nikos Panagiotou and it will be funded through the Digital News Initiative Fund.

“People are turning to other kinds of information, turning to either blogs or social media, and especially in Greece this is becoming a dominant trend,” Panagiotou said.

He says that Google will help implement his research by providing funding for laboratory equipment, as well as by funding the development of pan-European sample of 5,000 people.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

While wine will always be popular in Greece, recent market trends suggests specialty beer from Greek microbreweries is making its presence known and more and more people are opting for a beer. Ekathimerini reports how Greek microbreweries and beer have gained popularity locally and abroad.

Greece’s microbrewing industry has grown markedly in recent years. In 2009 there were six microbrewers in the country. Now that number has risen to 35. Despite this increase, Greece is still considered an underdeveloped market in terms of microbreweries, with plenty of room for growth. According to the Hellenic Association of Brewers, there are now 1,000 microbreweries in Italy, 300 in Belgium, 500 in the Netherlands and more than 2,000 in the UK.

“There has been an increase in beers from Greek microbreweries due to higher demand from consumers. As a result, more Greek ales can be found on the market these days,” says Sofoklis Panagiotou, vice president of the Hellenic Association of Brewers. “There’s higher demand for flavors from Greece from foreign tourists while Greek consumers are always on the lookout for better beer made in the country and want to help small domestic producers,” he adds.

To read this article in full, please visit: Ekathimerini

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest carved tombs ever found in Greece, in Orchomenos, about 100 km northwest of Greek capital of Athens.

Dated back to the middle of the 14th century B.C., it is the ninth-largest chamber tomb out of roughly 4,000 excavated in the last 150 years.

Greece’s Culture Ministry says the 3,350-year-old chamber belonged to a man who was between 40 to 50 years old when he died.

The nobleman’s tomb contained pottery vessels sheathed in tin, bronze horse bits, jewellery, bow fittings and arrowheads.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

Just recently, the Leading Culture Destinations Awards (LCDA) announced that Athens won as the ‘Best Emerging Culture City of the Year’ for 2017!

The award scheme, also known as the “Oscars for Museums”, celebrates the vibrancy and vitality of museums and institutions around the world, which are constantly evolving.

The Greek capital city won the award for Best Emerging Culture City in recognition that it managed to support culture and tourism with its strategic choices, despite the ongoing economic crisis in the country.

The award was received by Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis in London.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

 

Additionally, check out the below video from This Is Athens! This is Athens for Culture Seekers:

 

"Right at the junction between East and West, the birthplace of democracy, philosophy and drama, is nowadays a restless contemporary hub, mixing, matching and unfolding in a series of never ending stories." #ThisisAthens

For more videos, please visit: This Is Athens

According to Culture Trip, the city of Nafplion was recently named the ‘Best City in Greece’ because of its history, culture, green landscapes, and crystal clear beaches!

“Set in one of Greece's most diverse and vibrant regions, the Peloponnese, the historical seaside town of Nafplion, near the north end of the Argolic Gulf, is the perfect destination for those who wish to experience traditional Greek life, immerse themselves in Greek history, and relax among splendid virgin landscapes and centuries-old traditional villages.”

“Divided into the medieval and the new town, Greece's first capital city has known tourism since early last century.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Neos Kosmos

The impressive animated full-length painted film called ‘Loving Vincent’ is finally complete after 6 years. The first of its kind, the film tells the story of Vincent van Gogh’s life and the mysteries surrounding his death. The co-directors are British animator, Hugh Welchman, and his Polish-born wife Dorota Kobiela. After they met and married, the idea they had started to come to life.

“In essence, the idea was simple: an artist would render a full oil-on-canvas image. ‘That could take between half a day and three days,’ says Welchman, ‘and then for twelve times for every second [of the film], you’re moving the paint.’”

Quite a tedious process, Welchman and Kobiela used 125 artists to paint 65,000 individual frames. Of those 125, twenty were Greek oil painters from StudioBauhaus.

“There were a lot of challenges,” says artist Alexandra Bari.

“In the beginning we had to understand and study his painting style [Vincent van Gogh], and learn his technique and combine them into our work,” says artist Nikos Koniaris to Euronews. “It was very very difficult to imitate such a great master.”

To learn more about this incredible film, visit: The Independent and Euronews

Watch the trailer here!

Greek airline carrier Aegean was honored in the Condé Nast Traveler 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the 20 Best Airlines in the World!

The airline ranked 9th “for flying a modern fleet of narrow-body Airbus planes and its professional, friendly staff,” according to the Condé Nast Traveler.

In this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards survey, travelers voted on the world’s best airlines (outside the U.S.), with several Middle Eastern and Asian carriers getting top marks for their long-haul flights around the globe. The number one airline is Air New Zealand, followed by Qatar Airways in second place and Singapore Airlines in third place.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Turkey’s ban on Turkish ships sailing to the Greek islands has been lifted following a meeting between Greek Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis and Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan in Athens. This comes after the recent ban from a statement made September 25, 2017.

According to Mr. Arslan, passenger ferry services will continue to run normally since the two sides recognized each other’s importance in tourism and the economy.

As the Turkish Minister explained, the problem arose because Turkey could not take the risk of losing the white flag on the list.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

Since it started in the late 1980’s and escalated when the financial crisis hit, graffiti in Athens has popped up everywhere as a way to express widespread unrest. As the Independent reports, “the capital of Greece might be known for the Acropolis, but as you drive into Athens what really hits you is the graffiti.”

There’s hardly a place that hasn’t been tagged by spray paint. Vans, walls, street signs, dumpsters, and even the ancient rocks have paint on them.

Street artist and tour guide Nikolas Tongas says, “Athens is always inspiring people to create... the financial crisis was a huge inspiration for artists who wanted to show from their own perspective an artistic representation of the current economic situation.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Independent