In recent news, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation Development has predicted that the economy in Greece will hit a 1.9% growth rate by the year 2017 and that we see already see improvement in the second half of 2016.

Specifically, a return to growth will come after a deep and prolonged recession in Greece, as recovering confidence boosts investment and consumption and improved competitiveness raises exports. However, the Organization points out that the huge public debt burden is undermining investment and confidence, making some form of additional debt relief crucial.

Unemployment in the country is still very high, which is causing serious social problems, but is now gradually receding. At the same time, OECD stressed the need for modernization of the Employment Organization and expanding active policies in the labor market. The report also mentions that weak productivity accounts for much of the decline in output since the onset of the crisis and suggests the full implementation of structural reforms, so as to boost productivity.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek News Agenda

For the OECD Economic forecast summary, please click here.

“Cruise travel is a growing tourism sector and at the same time has positive prospects, contributing in many ways to the European economy. A country like Greece, with unique beauty and diverse destinations, history and culture, can and should be developed into a leading cruise destination, and indeed all year long,” said Kyriakos Anastasiadis, CEO Celestyal Cruises and executive member of CLIA Europe.

Greece has maintained its ranking as the third most popular destination in Europe, with a 13.3 percent share and total of 4,176,500 cruise passenger visits. Santorini, Piraeus, Mykonos, Corfu and Katakolon took the lead as ports of call in 2015, with some 980,049 passengers starting their voyages from the port of Piraeus.

Besides being one of the fastest growing sectors in Europe, cruise travel employs some 10,000 people who contribute over 188 million euros annually to the Greek economy according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The CLIA report, presented on Tuesday, revealed that the industry in Europe grew by 2 percent and an estimated 40.95 billion euros in 2015, adding 10,000 new jobs to a total of 360,571 whose salaries plus benefits reach 11.05 billion euros.

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The Greek Infrastructure, Transport, and Networks Ministry has announced that six regional airports in Greece will receive 197 million euros in EU funding towards their upgrade.

With the goal of boosting EU growth, the European Commission President started the Juncker Plan in 2014 and has since given the airports of Kastoria, Milos, Syros, Naxos, Paros, and Chios funds for modernization and development.

Part of the funds will come from Public Private Partnership and will focus on the design, construction, financing, and management of the airports. Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, the investors will have the right to use and manage airport facilities.

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In an effort to help refugee children in Greece complete their education, the Greek Ministry of Education and UNICEF have teamed up to devise short-term and long-term plans to fulfill this goal.

UNICEF’s Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Marie-Pierre Poirier, visited Athens and Lesvos recently with the aim to collaborate with Greek authorities. While meeting with Greek education officials, she was informed about the current situation and the effects on refugee children.

According to UNICEF’s data, around 22,000 children are among the 55,000 migrants and refugees stranded in Greece. After interviewing 75% of school aged refugee children, 1 in 5 had never even begun their education. As a jumpstart, Greece’s Education Ministry has initiated pilot education and activities for children at refugee camps over the summer with the aim of beginning proper classes in the fall in their native language, English, and basic Greek.

While in Athens and Lesvos, Ms Poirier presented two plans to address the educational needs of the children. The first plan is a programme developed for younger children, which will allow for the immediate intervention at reception centers and the second plan is a programme to address the needs of adolescents, which include both education and career orientation.

For the younger children, the goal is to learn their mother tongue and English so they will be prepared once they settle in a host country. The goal for school aged children is to place them in Greek schools.

Apart from the educational needs Poirier was informed about, there are children who are unaccompanied. These children need to be aided by Greek institutions, prosecutors, and social workers to place them in foster care and eventually unite them with their families. UNICEF is also collaborating with the Migration Policy Ministry and the Social Solidarity Ministry to provide protection for unaccompanied minors.

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Because of its rare and unique collections coming from excavations in Boeotia, the Archaeological Museum of Thebes, which is one of Greece's most important museums, is getting a total makeover and will be re-named ‘The New Thebes Archaeological Museum.’

It was inaugurated in June of this year and it is organized into 18 thematic units, 11 of which tell the chronological story of Thebes and Boeotia (the region surrounding Thebes) from the Paleolithic Age right up to the establishment of the modern Greek state. Presented are Boeotia's culture, daily life, politics, and social development . There are special displays detailing the history of the museum and of Thebes, Boeotia in mythology and its spiritual life, especially through the famous tragedies of the Theban mythological cycle.

The exemplary Museum of Ancient Eleutherna on the island of Crete was also inaugurated in June in the presence of President Pavlopoulos and prominent representatives from the fields of politics, science, business and the arts.

Another important cultural site to reopen its doors to visitors in June was the ‘Palace of Nestor’ in the Peloponnese, one of the best preserved Mycenaean sites in Greece. The palace reached the peak of its prosperity in 13th century B.C. but it was destroyed by fire in the early years of the 12th century B.C. In 1939, K. Kourouniotis located the site of the Palace and Professor Carl Blegen of the University of Cincinnati excavated the area.

The palace was closed for restoration in May 2013. Now, after a 2.5-million-euro restoration work, the site will be inaugurated by Culture Minister Aristidis Baltas and reopen its doors to visitors in June.

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Starting in May 2017, Tilos island, located in the Dodecanese, will be the first island in Greece and the Mediterranean to run completely on renewable energy.

 

Tilos received permission from the Regulatory Authority for Energy to set up a hybrid energy production and storage station, which is expected to cover 85 percent of the island’s energy needs. The energy production and storage station will also provide the island of Kos with 400kW in power for 5 hours a day.

The project is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 plan called TILOS, which stands for Technology Innovation for the Local Scale Optimum Integration of Battery Storage) and involves 15 stakeholders from 7 European countries. The project is led by a research team from the Laboratory of Soft Energy Applications and Environmental Protection at Piraeus University of Applied Sciences.

The TILOS program stood out among 80 other competing companies in the Horizon 2020, which is EU’s largest research and innovation program with about 80 billion euros in funding. The funds will be spread out over a period of 7 years, which started in 2014.

Tilos is currently powered by a submarine cable from Kos.

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

Since the dawn of time, all around the world, the profession of a doctor is the most appreciated one. Being a doctor means having a great responsibility because almost every day the quality of someone’s life (or the life itself) is in their hands. Health is our greatest treasure and with great doctors, there is a better chance for the healthier population.

The Faculty of Medicine has listed 7 countries that produce the best doctors in the world and Greece is number 7. Analyzing the most famous doctors in the world, The Faculty of Medicine gave each country 1 point for every doctor who achieved groundbreaking progress in the world of medicine or contributed greatly to medicine in any other way.

Greece, receiving 3 points, is the birthplace of one of the greatest figures in the history of medicine. Hippocrates, considered to be the ‘Father of Western Medicine,’ established medicine as a professional discipline, known as one of his greatest achievements.

Coming in at number 6 is Austria, who produced one of the greatest minds in psychology and psychiatry, Sigmund Freud. Freud is credited with coining the term psychoanalysis and revolutionizing the study of dreams with his well-known work, ‘The Interpretation of Dreams.’ In addition to Freud, Hans Asperger identified Asperger’s syndrome as a mental disorder.

Number 5 is Australia, known for Howard Florey is who penicillin available to the world. Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the substance, but Florey made the discovery historically significant.

Switzerland comes in at number 4 with Carl June, founder of analytic psychology and Herman Rorschach, who invented the inkblot test.

Hailing from Germany, at number 3, is Erik Erikson who developed the concept of ‘identity crisis.’ Other notable German doctors are Paracelsus, Rudolf Virchow, and Hans Eysenck.

United Kingdom is listed as number 2 with most being people familiar with Sir Conan Doyle and Sir Alexander Fleming, who are credited with discovering penicillin. Edward Jenner discovered the Smallpox vaccine and James Parkinson defined what is known as Parkinson’s disease.

The United States tops the list at number 1, a country producing some of the best doctors in the world. American doctors have made the most lifesaving discoveries, including Alfred Blalock who changed the fate of cardiovascular science forever and Clarence Walton Lillehei, who pioneered open heart surgery. In addition, Ben Carson was the first neurosurgeon to have successfully separated conjoined twins at the head.

To read this article in full, please visit: The Faculty of Medicine

Tourism is one of Greece’s main sectors and in a report issued by Alpha Bank, Greece stands to gain traffic this year. Tourism will also get a boost from the upgrade of regional airports in Kalamata, Naxos, Syros, Milos, and Paros.

However, the refugee crisis is reflected, according to the analysis, in a decline of tourism to the Dodecanese islands in the first five months of 2016 — down by 21.9 percent on Kos, 59.9 percent on Lesvos (bearing the brunt of incoming refugee movement) and 40.6 percent on Samos — and partially offset by stronger arrivals to Crete, the Ionian islands and the Cyclades.

At the same time, the Bank of Greece issued a report which found tourist arrivals in the first three months of the year down by 5.3 percent year-on-year to 2.5 million visitors compared to 2.7 million. Travel spending, however, per trip on average grew by 365.9 euros for the first four months of 2016 against 360.3 euros.

The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) expects 27.5 million visitors this year against 23.6 million in 2015 and revenue to the tune of 15 billion euros compared to 14.2 billion euros in 2015. The EU remains Greece’s main market despite a 10.9 percent decline in the first four months against last year.

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Lane Sea Lines and Aegeon Pelagos, subsidiaries of Anek Lines, have made travelling by ferry easier thanks to a new electronic ticket system recently launched this summer!

Travelers can now just use their PC, smartphones or tablets to book, purchase and print their boarding pass online at www.anek.gr.

Lane Sea Lines offers journeys from Piraeus to Kythira, Antikythira, Gytheion, Kalamata and Kissamos via the Vitsentzos Kornaros ferry boat. Aegeon Pelagos offers ferry travel from Piraeus to islands in the Cyclades including Santorini, Milos, and Anafi and the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Halki, Kasos, Karpathos) and Crete (Sitia, Heraklion) via the Prevelis ferry.

Thanks to the new e-ticket system passengers can now save time when travelling by ferry as all they need is to show their e-ticket on their smartphone or tablet when boarding.

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

For the sixth year in a row, Aegean Airlines has taken home the ‘Best Regional Airline in Europe’ award from the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The Skytrax World Airline Awards are highly regarded as the passengers choice, as they collect passenger satisfaction surveys from over 280 airlines and 104 different nationalities.

This year’s awards took into account the customer surveys that were conducted over a period of August 2015 until May 2016, which measured the quality standards across 41 performance indicators of quality product and service.

The CEO of Skytrax, Edward Plaisted, said that “Aegean remains a favorite amongst passengers in Southern Europe and continues to perform well in the awards surveys on both regional and a global basis.”

“All of us at AEGEAN are delighted to receive this important award for the 6th year in a row. This award motivates us to do more for our customers’ needs. We remain focused on the enhancement of our services and we are proud that our effort has been recognized by the passengers”, Dimitris Gerogiannis, CEO of AEGEAN, said.

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