Official presentation of the Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company at the new Acropolis Museum

The mission and action plan of the Athens Tourism and Economic Development Company (ATEDCο) aim to promote Athens in the global tourism market, and to make the City one of the leading global destinations for urban and business tourism. These were presented today at an official event held at the New Acropolis Museum.

In his introduction to the presentation, Mayor of Athens Nikitas Kaklamanis referred to the importance of tourism for Athens, and the strong desire the City of Athens has to contribute substantially to developing tourism further. At the same time, he put particular importance on the new face of Athens, and on the connection tourism has with economic development and the cultural identity of the city.

President of ATEDCο, Athanasios Spyrakos, referred to the flexible and fundamental methods the company operates by, its specially trained staff, and its goal to act as a platform for communication between the public and private sectors.

Addresses were made by General Secretary of the Greek National Tourism Organisation I. Valvis, President of the Attica Hotels Association G. Tsakiris, and President of the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers (HAPCO) Dinos Astras. President of the Construction Organisation for the New Acropolis Museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, spoke about the New Acropolis Museum and its importance for Athens.

CEO of ATEDCο, Panagiotis Arkoumaneas, highlighted the importance of tourism for the city's economy, referring to the Company's purpose as the official tourism body of Athens. He also presented an integrated plan of actions and activities which has been drawn up by the company's staff, and which is already being carried out with consistency and success, and referred to the significant work which has already been carried out in the short amount of time ATEDCo has been in operation.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of its activities and to help with the correct planning of actions, ATEDCo has invested in international contacts and in exchanging technical knowledge via its membership in international bodies such as the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the International Conference and Convention Association (ICCA) and European Cities Marketing (ECM).

At the same time, and in cooperation with the University of the Aegean, ATEDCo has prepared the first comprehensive study on Tourism in Athens during the pre- and post-Olympic periods, in order to gain an impression of the actual tourism figures and to highlight the challenges and strategic priorities for the next five years.

Given that Athens has all the necessary requirements to be shown as a leading tourist destination, and because of the harsh competition which holds in the global tourism market, ATEDCο, based on the findings of this study, has detected that there is a real need for better targeted and more effective promotion of Athens. Therefore, ATEDCο has planned and is promoting a communicative identity for Athens with the slogan "breathtaking Athens", supporting this with a series of organised actions. More specifically, ATEDCο:

• Is putting Athens on the virtual global map with two official websites which will be at the cutting edge of a powerful and interactive communication strategy: The first, www.breathtakingathens.com, is aimed at the wider group of visitors and potential visitors, and the second, www.athensconventionbureau.gr, focuses on the business and convention tourism market.
• Produces a series of publications and informational material, including a tourist map of Athens and a series of thematised literature.
• Participates in important international tourism and business tourism events.
• Has started a targeted publicity campaign in the international media (including advertisements, special editions, articles, etc.) in order to promote Athens to tourism professionals and to the wider public.
• Produces a special magazine entitled breathtaking mag, which is published on a quarterly basis and is sent to thousands of selected recipients abroad.
• Has set up an info point for visitors to the City, which will open in November at Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, and which will be the first point in an integrated network of info points which will be set up at all the sites of tourist interest in Athens.
• Has set up and is operating the Athens Convention Bureau (ACB), which has been promoting and advertising Athens to the demanding international convention and corporate events market, and serves every foreign body or business which is interested in organising conventions or other events in Athens. The operation of the ACB satisfies a long-term demand from the Athenian tourism sector, and its activities are already bringing in the first concrete results, as well as particularly encouraging messages.
• Is investing in partnerships with the private sector and with the State, and promoting a membership programme to strengthen its activities and to achieve the joint goal of promoting Athens to international tourism markets.

The ATEDCο event at the jam-packed amphitheatre of the New Acropolis Museum was honoured by the presence of distinguished personalities and leading figures from the worlds of politics, tourism and business.

For more information:
Katerina Papadopoulou, Lela Dritsa
T. +30 2103253123
F. +30 210 3216653
kpapadopoulou@atedco.gr
hdritsa@atedco.gr