Greece: Tourism, Ports and Poseidon!

 

Friday, August 19^th, 2022

 

     Today we had a very busy day! We started the day with a lovely rooftop buffet breakfast at our hotel, followed by a visit to the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO). Greece is considered the 5th tourism brand in the world, as ranked by Nations Brand Index, 2020. In 2019, Greece recorded over 31.1 million tourists and 18 billion Euros in spendings (11% GDP). However, in the past two years most tourism in Greece has been from other European countries, who enjoy the sea and sun. We learned about different strategies GNTO is using to attract more tourists, such as partnerships with airlines for better rates, developing a stronger social media presence and using Greece as a background for popular Chinese video games. Recently Greece has been trying to encourage more tourism for their winter season, by marketing their winter resorts in the mountains as Greece is not well known for their winters. 

 

    After a quick bus ride, we arrived at the Pireaus Port of Athens, where we were shown an in-depth scale map of the port accompanied with an explanation of what all the different sections are used for. One section of the port is dedicated to cruise ships, boasting a large dock which can host some of the largest cruise ships. Next is a ferry terminal, where they offer ferries from the mainland to the more popular vacation islands. A very large cargo shipping dock is located towards the center of the port. To the far side, there is a shipyard for ship repair. Lastly, we were given a driving tour of the port, where we got to see everything in person! 

 

    Following the conclusion of our two business visits, we headed back to the hotel for a lunch break, then it was off to the temple of Poseidon! The drive was quite long, however the views at the temple were breathtaking. It was amazing to see the structure had survived for so many years. Elena also gave us some great history and taught us a lot about Greek mythology!