On 12 October 2017, during a prescheduled workshop, the Region of Attica hosted in Stockholm an event concerning the potential of Attica as a tourist destination.
This successful meeting, attended by tourist operators and journalists, was conducted with the assistance of the international office of GNTO (Greek National Tourism Organization) in Sweden, (responsible for Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Baltic states) as well as the Ambassador of Greece in Sweden, his Excellency Mr Dimitrios Touloupas, at the Ambassadorial residence.
The representative from the Region of Attica, Executive Regional Councillor for Tourism, Mrs. Eleni Dimopoulou, accompanied the delegation and addressed the market of Sweden and Scandinavia in general, highlighting the potential of tourism in the region of Attica.
What was emphasized was that: “It is among the priorities of the Region of Attica to re-establish the area as a destination in order to allow greater numbers of visitors from Scandinavia, as Athens and the whole region offer a wide variety of tourist services, able to attract visitors of all ages from the aforementioned countries. Younger people and “Millenials” in particular, who have never visited Athens or Attica, will be amazed by the variety of activities offered, as is the authentic Marathon race, the available walking tours on the Saronic islands, the boat trips, the sports, etc.”
The Directorate of Tourism was represented by the head of the Directorate Mrs. Athina Kolyva and the deputy head of the Department for Tourism Promotion, Mrs. Maria Pantelous, both of whom explained during their detailed presentation all the available tourist services, the tourist productsexperiences and the tours that can be taken by individuals or organised groups.
The perfect collaboration between the Region of Attica and the head of the international office of GNTO in Sweden Mr. Pavlos Mourmas, guaranteed the presence of the largest local tour operators and tourism magazines.
There was also a specialized presentation concerning
convention tourism, with the use of material offered by the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA) that is run by the municipality of Athens. Until recently, the profile of visitors from Sweden is characterized mainly by a demand for summer destinations (sea’n’sun).
The Region of Attica aims to inform the key players of the tourist market about the multidimensional character of Attica as an all-year-round tourist destination, as the area ideally comprises culture, climate and light, gastronomy, the sea and entertainment, making it a unique metropolitan region in Europe.
On behalf of the Greek Embassy the event was attended by the Counsellor and the new head of Economic and Commercial Affairs, the Counsellor for Cultural Affairs and the Press secretary.
Furthermore, the workshop was attended by senior executives representing the Association of Swedish Travel Agents and companies like APOLLO, TUI, TEMA-JAMBO, TRAWELL, TRAVELHOUSE, SELECT COLLECTION as well as AEGEAN AIRLINES and many others.
As for journalists and media in general, there were representatives of: VAGABOND TRAVEL MAGAZINE SWEDEN, RES TRAVEL MAGAZINE SWEDEN, LIFESTYLE PUBLISHING MAGAZINES, SMART MEDIA, REISEGIGANTEMDESTINATION.SE and many others. At the end of the event, audiovisual as well as printed tourist promotional material of the Region of Attica was distributed and the workshop ended in a pleasant and creative atmosphere.
