Greece’s new marketing campaign “Oh My Greece | Unlock the Feeling” was presented today, Wednesday, February 20, 2019, in the Nikos Skalkotas room of the Athens Concert Hall which was packed with a large number of representatives of the tourism and business sector.
Aiming to promote Greek tourism internationally, the new Marketing Greece campaign shares the uniqueness of our country with the travelling public and “deconstructs” the travel experience that visitors to Greece can enjoy. “The Greek tourism product is a combination of nature, culture, gastronomy, habits and a way of life. But it is also something else, more direct and deeper: Contact with the people. Relationships with locals. Proximity and intimacy. We really need to understand how much we excel at this level and how much people come to love us. For our guests, hospitality is not only excellent accommodation. Just as important, or perhaps even more important, is the warmth and cordiality of the locals, the ease of contact, the immediacy, the friendliness, the smiles“, as the CEO of Marketing Greece Ioanna Dretta stated.
It should be noted that GNTO has granted a license to use the Greek trademark. In connection with this, the Minister of Tourism, Elena Kontoura, stated:
“In our strategy, we have given, and still give, priority to cooperation between the public and private sectors, and the development of synergies that are beneficial to Greek tourism. Because of this, I want to thank Marketing Greece for our long-term cooperation which actively supports the Ministry of Tourism’s unified national tourism policy and complements the central work done by our national body, EOT, to promote our tourism product. The new film from Marketing Greece which is presented today is an excellent production. It is has been granted free and free of copyright to EOT.
We will promote it strongly and dynamically through the Ministry of Tourism’s wide network and though EOT Abroad offices in all foreign markets. We will also use all the effective modern tools and online media outlets that we already work with so that Greece, and its modern image as a leading and attractive destination, can travel round the world and can be targeted at the global travel audience we want to address ”.
Thanasis Papathanassiou, Creative Chairman of the advertising company Frank & Fame who won the competition for the creative idea and implemented the campaign, focused on emotion and experiences, emphasising that “The new film captures the magic of our country, which is not limited to what you see but is mainly found in how it makes you feel.”
The new campaign is the result of collaborations, both at the level of contributors and at the level of sponsors, as Marketing Greece ran fundraising for the production costs which remains open until the end of September. The ultimate goal of these collaborations is to help the campaign to reach the international public.
The presentation of the campaign ended with a discussion between Visionary sponsors participating in the fundraising, and the coordinator, the president of SETE (The Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises), Mr. Yiannis Retsos. In particular, the discussion was attended by Eftychios Vassilakis, President of AEGEAN, Andreas Andreadis, CEO of Sani-Ikos Group, Konstantinos Vassileiou, Deputy CEO of Eurobank, Stavros Mitsis, Managing Director of Mitsis Hotels Group, Yiannis Tsichlis, Marketing Director of GRECOTELI and Lilian Nektariou, General Director of Coca-Cola for Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
Mr. Yiannis Retsos stated that “Marketing Greece is a private sector alliance formed to promote Greek tourism and its mission is to support the implementation of the unified national tourism strategy, as a complement to and in cooperation with the competent government agencies.” He added, “Tourism has the potential to enjoy even better days provided that new tourist products which directly establish and promote destinations are created. The demand for partnerships and cooperation is becoming – more than ever before – imperative “.
The Visionary sponsors stated:
“The starting point for SETE’s vision for Marketing Greece coincided with the moment when AEGEAN bought Olympic Airways in 2013 and essentially became the main representative of Greek aviation. The proof that Marketing Greece is a useful product for Greek tourism is that more and more small, medium and large bodies help to support it financially..So, for me the real proof of the effectiveness of this group and this effort is the expansion in the number of its supporters and the fact that there are more and more supporters from the tourism sector, including some who, of course, were involved from the beginning, but also bodies that are not solely involved in the tourism sector. And this is combined with a real faith, with confirmation that what is good for tourism is good for the economy and that it essentially helps the country to develop in a balanced way“, noted Mr. Eftychios Vassilakis, President of AEGEAN.
“Marketing Greece is one of the SETE initiatives that, even today, six years after its creation, makes me feel very proud. Tourism is showing the way that Greece can become a first choice and favourite country for people from all over the world who would like to live here, permanently or temporarily. This is the discussion, the national vision, that includes tourism but is not limited to it.” noted Mr. Andreas Andreadis, CEO of Sani-Ikos Group.
“Greek tourism, from its competitive position and with its strong and steadily rising contribution to the Greek economy in recent years, can play a leading role in the country’s economic recovery at the same time as attracting strong international investment interest. Eurobank has strategically chosen to be, in practice, the bank for Greek tourism. Our close, long-term cooperation with SETE and our support for dynamic initiatives such as the alliance with Marketing Greece, serve the goal of strengthening and promoting Greek tourism, a goal fully compatible with the Bank’s business priority to assist and strengthen. its customers in many ways to enable them to meet the ever-changing challenges they face.” said the Deputy CEO of EUROBANK, Mr. Konstantinos Vassiliou
“With great joy and even greater expectation, the N. Daskalantonaki-GRECOTEL Group is continuing to sponsor Marketing Greece, as we have supported its work directly from the outset,” stated Mr. Yiannis Tsichlis, Marketing Director of Grecotel. He added, “Partnerships between various bodies in the sector and the private sector, and synergies of all kinds, are more than necessary today to meet the demands of the times and of international competition. A very large part of Greek tourism’s success has so far been based solely on the efforts of the private sector. It is our obligation to work even harder to highlight the value of tourism for the country and to give it the place it deserves in planning for the Greece of the future.”
Mr. Stavros Mitsis, Managing Director of the Mitsis Hotels Group stressed: “It is with great pleasure that the Mitsis Hotels Group continues to support Marketing Greece and we will work together to realise the vision for the promotion of Greek tourism.”
Ms. Lillian Nektariou, General Manager of Coca Cola for Greece, Cyprus and Malta said: “The images which were presented in the excellent film created by Marketing Greece are the images of Greece that we want to promote internationally, the authentic images and the feeling that our country invokes with its beauty. We at Coca-Cola are very happy to support this remarkable effort. We are proud to be part of this initiative which goes one step further, and of our effort to support Greek tourism. An effort that is reflected in the collectible Coca-Cola bottles that we have already released for Crete, the Cyclades and Thessaloniki and which we will continue and expand this year as we want to highlight even more Greek tourist destinations. We will be able to share more with you soon. “
Many Champion sponsors were also present, among them Cosmote. The Champion sponsors stated:
Yiannis Paraschis, CEO of Athens International Airport “At Athens Airport we believe in the power of synergy, which is why we always play an active part in our country and our city, in the joint effort to support, promote and shape the tourism product.”
Gerasimos Fokas, President of Electra Hotels & Resorts “The Electra Hotels & Resorts Group is delighted and proud to actively participate in and support the Marketing Greece international promotion campaign for Greek tourism. In a time of great challenges, the tourism sector is taking a decisive step forward. It is not being complacent, but on the contrary it is creating the conditions for a better future. Congratulations to those who inspired, designed and implemented such an ambitious plan. “
Alexander Zinell, CEO Fraport Greece “With air transport playing an important role in supporting the Greek economy through the development of tourism, we welcome and support actions such as the new Marketing Greece campaign. Promoting Greece’s competitive advantages through innovative actions is a springboard through which travellers can discover this unique and exquisite tourist destination “
Kallinikos Kallinikos, Executive Vice President Goldair “Progressive thinking, innovative action, hard work”.
Agapi Sbokou, CEO Sbokos Hotels Group “In Greece, when we work together for a purpose, we produce a project which we can be very proud of! Marketing Greece does this exceptionally well and it is our great honour and pleasure to be a part of it. Greece, and all of us, need this “
Achilles V. Konstantakopoulos, President of TEMES “It is our pleasure to participate in the excellent Marketing Greece initiative which contributes to the effort to increase our country’s recognition in international markets. Through this coordinated action, we can showcase the best image of Greece “
Stefania Flenga Managing Director YES HOTELS “It’s all about feeling Young, Enthusiastic and Seductive!”
The contribution made by Advocate Sponsors is also very important:
- Amada Colossos Resort
- Atrium Hotels
- Bluegr Hotels & Resorts
- Domotel Hotels & Resorts
- Giannoulis Hotels & Resorts
- Hotel Brain
- Lampsa Hellenic Hotels.
- Lamda Development
- Metaxa Hospitality Group
- True Trips
Oh My Greece | Unlock the feeling Campaign