What characterizes the Greek tourism sector is a low diversification of the offer, high seasonality of the demand, and the fact that it’s concentrated on a limited number of emission markets.

The Olympic Games success was an opportunity to re-direct Athens and Greece on to a new path to follow. The Media coverage during the Olympic Games promoted the country all over the world before an audience of millions of potential tourists. The Olympic Games promoted the local tourism resources; the pleasant climate and traditional customs were communicated both direct and indirectly. Important opportunities were generated and Greece, as a destination, should yield a profit out of those, in this favorable moment.

THR carried out and in-depth research and developed a set of recommendations having on mind the lessons learned in case of Barcelona and Sydney, as both cities knew how to exploit best the fact of hosting the Olympic Games. Based on those recommendations, THR developed a Marketing Plan oriented towards the strategic tourism sectors for Greece (special interest, nautical tourism, cruises, congresses and incentives etc.), and thought out to attract mainly the “interactive travelers” segment.

The Plan incited the tourism operators and the National Tourist Board to a closer collaboration in defining a consistent positioning, and in implementing the innovative and more efficient marketing tactics.