"I’m an Aθenian too" - JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

The further evolution of Athens as a global travel destination was the subject of a joint press conference that took place today (30-9-2014) involving four key tourism sector bodies: the Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association (AHA), Marketing Greece, Athens International Airport (AIA) and Aegean Airlines. The main focus of the event was the announcement of positive, and measurable, results which demonstrate the value and power of collaboration for the effective promotion of Athens abroad.

More specifically, AHA spoke of Athens visitor traffic figures for January-August 2014, while the four organisations presented initiatives that have contributed to the positive results. Marketing Greece outlined a comprehensive plan to promote Athens and announced the launch of a new international campaign I’m an Aθenian too, a joint initiative involving the AIA which invites visitors “to became Athenians”, and follows the success of the airport’s “Perhaψ you’re an Aθenian too!” campaign last year.

According to AHA figures, during the January-August period, hotel bed occupancy increased by 22.3% compared to the corresponding period in 2013, the average room rate rose 4.9% and revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased by 28.3%. Furthermore, the rise in Athens’ popularity as a destination has been reinforced by visitor satisfaction studies carried out by AHA and GBR Consulting (based on a sample of more than 1,500 visitors/hotel guests per year) in which 96% of Athens visitors said they would recommend the city to others, while the Greek capital, as a destination, earned an overall evaluation score of 7.8 out of 10.

These figures are also validated by an increase of 528,000 in tourist arrivals at Athens International Airport during the same period (source: AIA) which, as AHA chairman Alexandros Vassilikos noted, “corresponds to about 390,000 additional hotel overnight stays and translates to 142.8 million euros for Athens’ real economy, that is hotels, stores, restaurants and bars, municipal rates, taxes, intermediaries, etc.”

As Vassilikos pointed out, “The turnaround occurred as a result of new ideas and joint efforts and reveals the need for all of us to join forces and focus on a long-term goal and strategy to ensure further improvement, numbers growth and higher quality”.

Marketing Greece presented the results of its public relations activity, implemented as part of a comprehensive plan in conjunction with AHA, Aegean and other bodies, which has generated more than 100 articles on Athens published in prominent international media outlets whose estimated advertising value equates to about 7.5 million euros.

More specifically, Marketing Greece Managing Director Iossif Parsalis said: “Athens constitutes a catalyst for the continued development of Greece’s tourism sector. Our efforts are focused on promoting the city as an ideal year-round travel destination. The implementation of the I’m an Aθenian too campaign falls within the framework of the philosophy which Marketing Greece is developing, based on the axes of collaboration, innovation and comprehensive strategy.”

Aegean Airlines serves as a longstanding supporter of substantive initiatives that showcase Athens, among other Greek destinations, and have had measurable results. As a strategic partner of AHA, AIA and Marketing Greece, the airline has provided support in terms of flights for journalists and tour operators invited to Athens who are based in countries to which Aegean Airlines flies. AEGEAN’s Vice Chairman Eftichios Vassilakis commented on the need for “collective, coordinated efforts and consistent investment in additional direct connections, quality and competitiveness.” He added: “There is clearly a need to put Athens in the position it deserves.”

Referring to the fact that the number of foreign visitors whose final destination was Athens increased by 29% during the first half of the year, Athens International Airport CEO Yiannis Paraschis noted that this development underscores the dynamic recovery of the city’s profile as a travel destination. Regarding efforts to promote Athens and the new I’m an Aθenian too campaign, which constitutes yet another important “link in the chain” of initiatives and efforts in which the AIA has invested, Paraschis noted: “Since the start of the economic crisis, we ensured that one of our key priorities was to support Athens as a destination through a series of initiatives.”

He added: “The ‘Perhaψyou’reanAΘeniantoo!’ AIA campaign was successfully implemented in 2014 in 18 airports throughout the world and showcased the varied faces of our city in a uniquely innovative way, as well as the universality of the Athenian identity, to more than 170 million passengers. Therefore, we are particularly pleased, now that Athens has experienced a strong recovery, that this “Perhaψ” now evolves into a “certain Aθenian identity” through our collaboration with Marketing Greece, offering everyone the opportunity to be a part of the new campaign, share their Athens experience and call themselves ‘AΘenians’.”

The conclusion and overall message of the day was the need for the immediate mobilisation, cooperation and involvement of all tourism professionals and city residents in rediscovering Athens, and communicating to the world the timelessness and diversity of the Greek capital.