HATTA devises plan to draw visitors to Greece all year round
An action plan to attract tourists to Greece all year round has been named “Dodeka,” after the Greek word for 12, and has been drawn up by the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies (HATTA). It includes the creation of a route related to the 12 Gods of Olympus and the recreation of ancient Olympic sports.
The project foresees the creation of a route with sites linked to the 12 gods of ancient Greece. A tentative route, with sites located in Athens, Aegina, Naxos, Delos, Ancient Olympia, Dodona and Pella has already been drawn up. According to HATTA, the unique tourism project, which will breathe new life into lesser-visited destinations, is the first of its kind in Greece. An online platform will be created which will provide information about the monuments and places to be visited.
The project is also seen boosting athletic tourism by utilizing the Athens 2004 sites that are currently unexploited. In this context, HATTA plans to launch a program called “The Olympics Legends,” which will offer tourists the chance to participate in ancient Olympic sports.
Religious tourism will also be promoted, which HATTA believes is an area that has strong potential and could be further exploited in Greece.
Another section of the plan, titled, “Sky & Sea” refers to aviation and sailing activities that will involve the development of new tourism packages and collaborations with the East Med Yacht Show held annually in Poros.
Developing urban tourism in Athens and Thessaloniki has a special place in the plan. As part of this, participating tourism bodies will announce timely offers for the Christmas and New Year period. In support, festive illuminations from November 1 in Athens and Thessaloniki as well as their promotion are highlighted in the plan.
Twinning Athens and Thessaloniki with other major cities abroad that have direct airline access is considered an important support action to attract foreign tourists. Suggestions include twinning with Paris and holding demonstrations of Greek and French cuisine, twinning with Munich and offering beer and winetasting events, or twinning with Kiev and organizing music and dance displays.
