The 2019 New York International Olive Oil Competition (NYIOOC) results were announced last month in New York’s East Village. The NYIOOC is considered to be the Oscars of the olive oil world because of its exposure, high standards, and highly acclaimed judges.

Among the 900 participants from every corner of the olive oil world, 109 Greek olive producers exhibited their finest extra virgin olive oils and won 35 awards, 18 Gold and 17 Silver.

Due to a challenging harvest season, Greek producers won fewer awards than last year; however, they confirmed their commitment to producing olive oil of high quality no matter the circumstances.

To read this article in full, please visit: Olive Oil Times

Athens International Airport has recently been awarded 'Best Airport in Europe' in the 15-25 million passengers a year category, which was announced at the 2017 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards by the Airports Council International World.

Mumbai received first place for airports in the Asia-Pacific, Toronto Pearson received first place for North America, and Rome Fiumicino received first place for Europe, all serving over 40 million passengers a year. The winning airports were congratulated on their dedication to excellent customer service. 

Athens International Airport saw a 6.5 percent increase in passenger traffic in February 2018, mainly from international arrivals. According to ACI World, in 2017 over half of the world’s 7.7 billion travelers passed through an ASQ airport. This year, sixteen airports were first time winners – with Athens Airport among them –  delivering top-quality customer service.

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

Photo Credit: Greek Travel Pages

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 23year- old NBA superstar who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, recently shared his inspiring and compelling story on "60 Minutes."

One of the highlights of the segment was his story about his family growing up in poverty in Greece, and wanting to help his parents out, Giannis and his brother would sell items including glasses and watches, on the streets. According to Giannis, "he was the best salesman." 

Giannis was playing basketball in a gym in Greece when a grainy video of him playing went viral. After that, NBA scouts from everywhere began to check him out. Eventually, at 18 years old, he was drafted by the Bucks. Now know as the 'Greek Freak,' Giannis is one of the NBA's brightest stars.

This "60 Minutes" feature is a remarkable look into Antetokounmpo's story. Even for those who don't know him, they will be able to gain an appreciation for the player now known as the "Greek Freak."

To watch the full video, please visit: CBS News

The Central Archaeological Council of Greece (KAS) has recently approved a request by BBC to film part of a serialised adaptation of a John le Carre novel at the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The request had previously been denied.

Following pressure by the Greek government, which had also criticised the decision by the country’s archaeological council not to allow the BBC to film, KAS will allow filming to begin on April 12th, 2018.

Filming at Greek archaeological sites, whether for commercial productions or news reporting, requires a permit from archaeologists that is sometimes near impossible and very costly to obtain.

To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News

According to a recent survey published by Trivago, an online search engine, Athens and Santorini were the top spring destinations for foreigners visiting Greece.

In particular, Athens and Fira and Oia in Santorini are the most popular destinations for spring travelers. These findings were based on search volume in the first two weeks of March for trips taking place March, April, and May.

Searches made on trivago also revealed that Greece remains a favorite destination to visitors particularly from the UK and Germany, followed by holidaymakers from Italy and France.

Destinations preferred by Greeks are Athens, Thessaloniki, Nafplio, Corfu, Ioannina, Chania, Loutraki, Rhodes, Kalavryta and Volos.

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

The Archaeological Museum of Thebes in Viotia, Greece has recently been nominated for the European Museum of the Year award for 2018. The museum is one of 40 other nominees.

The annual ceremony will take place this year on May 9th through 12th at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. The nominees this year will give an audiovisual presentation before the winner is announced. The presentation of the Thebes Museum will be supported by the "Society of the Friends of the Archaeological Museum of Thebes."

 

The European Museum of the Year Award was founded in 1977 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, in order to recognize excellence in the European museum sector. The judging process is rigorous and includes visits to up to 50 museums. 

The award has had significant influence over the years, highlighting and awarding museums with innovative approaches and influence in the national and international museum field.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek City Times

UberX recently announced that their services will be suspended until further notice, beginning from April 9, 2018.

The company stated that new local regulations and provisions will impact ridesharing services. UberX is in the process of assessing how they can operate within this new framework.

Uber remains committed to Greece and will continue with uberTAXI while they work with local stakeholders to find a way to enable users to enjoy the benefits of modern technologies like Uber.

We will update with more information as soon as it is available.

Out of 47 countries, Greece came in 2nd with a total of 519 Blue Flag beaches, which equates to about 12 percent of the total awards. The area in Greece with the most Blue Flags is Halkidiki. Spain came in 1st with 590 Blue Flag beaches.

This year, the international committee awarded 3,687 beaches, 679 marinas and 55 tourist boats across the planet. 

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to beaches across the world and is run by the independent and non-profit organization Foundation for Environmental Education. The Blue Flags are awarded to beaches that follow requirements that include Environmental Education and Information, Water Quality, Environmental Management and Safety and Services.

Source: Tornos News and Greek Travel Pages

Greece was recently awarded as the leading tourism destination in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for 2018 by SACEN International, the international center for the promotion and development of the tourism and catering sectors, during a special ceremony held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Known as the “Oscars of Tourism”, the award has been given to countries and enterprises active in the field of tourism in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe for the last 17 years.

The winners are selected in seven categories: Tourism destination; business tourism; cultural tourism; tour operator; gastronomy tourism; best enterprise in the catering sector; tourism personality of the year in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe.

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

Meet Vanessa Archontidou and Christina Flampouri, two "ordinary Greek women," who weightlift and climb nearby mountains four times a week, all before going to work. So far, they have reached the highest peaks on four continents, including North America, Europe, South America, and Africa.

As part of their ‘Seven Summits’ challenge, the two women are aiming to reach their fifth peak this summer 2018. This is their “Hellenic dream”; the dream of being the first two Greek women to scale these dangerous peaks.

Trained by fellow Greek climber Nikos Mangitsis (who has led more than 42 mountain expeditions to the world’s tallest mountain ranges), Christina and Vanessa combine training at Parnitha or Ymittos in Athens with gym work. 

“Because we are not rich, and we do this as a hobby, we try to make this a symbolic action to help other people understand,” Vanessa comments. “When you have a goal, even if it’s not a mountaineering goal, if it’s something that you truly believe in and even if you have obstacles in your way — like being a parent, or ‘I’m working a lot and I cannot do it’ — there is no obstacle.

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

For more information and how to support Vanessa and Christina's 'Seven Summit Challenge,' please visit: A Woman Can Be

 

Photo credit: Greek Reporter