Last week Greece’s tourism ministry released a new campaign stressing the diverse touristic value of the country. “A Greek Summer State of Mind” is the new message demonstrating that there is a lot more to Greece than stunning blue flag beaches and watersports.
Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis launched the “Greek Summer” message and stressed how Greeks are ready to welcome visitors in 2020 with open arms. The campaign also stresses how safety and the new normal of travel play a key role in Greece’s updated effort to satisfy tourist demand. The video below beckons travelers for more than a cliche. Greek summer, according to the video, is about a state of mind.
A cooperative effort of the tourism ministry, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) and Marketing Greece, the Greek summer campaign hints at much more cooperation between stakeholders in the future, while showing off some of the country’s lesser know tourism treasures.
Kicking off the announcement last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave the opening speech at the unveiling the new national campaign dubbed “Restart Tourism.” The prime minister said:
“We hope to be able to welcome visitors safely, first and foremost, and that this, the summer of 2020, will be a memorable one. Greece is more than just sea and sun. What we want to communicate is that Greek summer…is a state of mind.”
The Managing Director of Marketing Greece, Ioanna Dretta, says the message expressed in the video and the campaign is meant to be simple, modest, and unpretentious, which it is. As a media operation based on Crete, in Greece, we find ourselves mirroring the sentiments expressed in this video in nearly every tourism interest story we publish. Alternative tourism being in keen focus for us, there certainly is a value here in Greece that a relatively small number of travelers know about.
The new campaign is elegant in its approach to expressing what a Greek vacation really means. Visiting or living in Greece is about freedom. This is best expressed by two quotes from Crete’s most famous celebrity, the author Nikos Kazantzakis, who said; “I expect nothing, I fear nothing, I am free”. The author of Zorba the Greek is also quoted:
“I knew that no matter what door you knock on in a Cretan village, it will be opened for you. A meal will be served in your honor, and you will sleep between the best sheets in the house. In Crete, the stranger is still the unknown god. Before him, all doors and all hearts are opened.” – Nikos Kazantzakis
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