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Study: Tourists Turning to Wellness Travel After Covid  

HOTREC: Hospitality Representatives Agree on Policy Priorities Ahead of European Elections

Air Travel Capacity Hits a High as Greek Easter Holiday Rush Begins

Greece Launches Contactless ‘Tap & Pay’ System on Athens Airport Express Buses

GNTO: Trips by Cypriots to Greece Up by 9% in January-March

Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards: The Best Greek Hotels for 2024

Passenger Traffic Up 14.4% at Greece’s Airports in First Quarter

VORIA: €250m Hospitality Project to Transform Northern Athens into Tourism Hub

Greece to Pour €3b into Repair and Upgrade Works in Flood-hit Thessaly

Airbnbs in Greece Fail to Win Over Travelers During Catholic Easter

Culture Projects Worth €170m Planned for Attica Region

Skiathos Tourism Season Begins Earlier than Ever, Mayor Expects Bumper Year

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Greece to Subsidize Holidays for 107,204 People This Year

Athens Airport Expects 30m Arrivals in 2024, Revises Revenue Forecast Upward

New Hotel Star Rating System Unveiled in Europe

Greek Tourism Minister and Ambassador for Singapore Talk Investments

Study: Athens Among Best Cities for Family Science Trips

Greece Sees Q1 Int’l Arrivals Rise 18.7% to 1.6 Million

Athens Hotels See 5.9% Surge in January-March Occupancy Over 2023

Bournemouth Airport: Rhodes Among Top 5 Performing Destinations for Summer 2025 Travel

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Special Easter Menu, Gifts at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens

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Technopolis: New 3-day Beer Festival Coming to Athens in May

Acropolis Museum Exhibition: The Parthenon and Byron

Posidonia 2024 Marks the Rebirth of Greek Shipbuilding Industry

Greece to Participate in ‘Tourism EXPO Japan 2024’ in September

Travel Agents from Eastern China Explore Athens, Greek Islands

‘Sympossio’ Roadshow Event Promotes Greek Gastronomy for 14th Year

GNTO’s ‘Cherry Blossom in Pieria’ Initiative to Boost Tourism

Costa Navarino Celebrates Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Enhances Sports Offering

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Study: Greece’s Golden Visa Scheme May See Drop in Demand

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Minoas 2024: Crete’s Creta Maris Resort Holds Earthquake Drill

Mideast Travel Promotes Greece at Luxury Tourism Workshop in Egypt

CruisePlan: New Sales Platform for Cruises Introduced to Greek Travel Agents

Greek Hotels Shine on Tripadvisor’s ‘Best of the Best’ World & Europe 2024 Lists

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Thessaloniki Tourism Organization to Focus on Destination Management, Become DMO

Thessaloniki Drops on 2023 Traveler Satisfaction Index

Greece Bans Sunbeds, Umbrellas, Bars on 198 Beaches

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Greece’s GNTO Named Best Tourist Board Partner for 2023 by UK Tour Operators

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10 things I wish tourists knew before visiting Greece, from a local

• I'm from Athens, and I've seen plenty of tourists make mistakes while traveling to Greece .
• Pace yourself if you're planning on staying out at the bars and clubs all night.
• It's worth it to do some research on smaller islands and local cuisine before your trip.

Thanks to its ancient ruins, picturesque beaches, and incredible food, Greece is one of the top tourist destinations. In 2023, over 32 million people visited.

I was born in Athens and currently split my years living between the US and Greece , so I've spent plenty of time in the beautiful European country.

Here are 10 things I think tourists should know before visiting.

There’s so much more to see in Greece than the popular islands.

It seems like everyone visits Mykonos, Santorini, and maybe Paros, but Greece has over 220 inhabitable islands. Plus, most of them are more budget-friendly than the popular spots.

I recommend looking into places like Kimolos, Astypalaia, Paxoi (also known as Paxos and Paxi), or Folegandros.

The Greek mainland is also beautiful. There's a lot to see there, from UNESCO sites at Delphi and Meteora and the turquoise waters of the Peloponnese to the stunning mountains and villages of Epirus.

Athens is more than the Acropolis.

Athens has great nightlife , restaurants, museums, and cool neighborhoods like Plaka, Exarcheia, Psyrri, and Pangrati.

Tourists who just swing by to check the Acropolis off their list are missing out. I've always found it to be one of the liveliest cities in the world.

You don’t need to tip 20%.

Greek servers generally rely on hourly wages, so there isn't the same tipping culture as the US .

I normally just round up the bill or leave a couple of Euros on the table as a tip — unless I had exceptional service or dined at a more formal (and tourist-oriented) restaurant.

Pace yourself when drinking alcohol.

A lot of travelers take advantage of Greece's lax attitude toward alcohol restrictions. Coupled with the fact that Greek bars and clubs close pretty late (like 4 a.m. late), some tourists get sloppy.

Locals usually intersperse drinks with food and water so they can last the whole night, and I recommend tourists do the same.

Slow down and take Sundays off.

Greeks have a pretty relaxed relationship with time — people often arrive late and stores may open half an hour after they said they would.

Service in Greece can seem slow to people from more fast-paced places, especially on the quieter islands . A lot of stores and supermarkets are also closed on Sundays, even in Athens.

I know this can be annoying at times, but I recommend just enjoying the slower pace of life.

Don’t try to visit too many islands on one trip.

So many people ask me if they can fit four or five islands into a seven-day trip, and I never recommend it. Take your time and enjoy each destination for at least a couple of days.

Half the joy of the Greek islands is getting to destress. If you're hopping from ferry to ferry and running around to cover the highlights, you'll miss out on the best parts of the country.

Be sensitive about natural disasters.

I never thought I'd have to say this, but I have seen multiple tourists in the last few years posting about how "pretty" the skies or sunsets are thanks to the glow from raging wildfires .

At a time when a lot of Greek people are wondering if their houses are still standing or their loved ones have gotten to safety, it's a pretty insensitive thing to do.

Don't skip out on experiencing a traditional taverna.

Athens and other popular Greek destinations now have a lot of upscale restaurants with cuisines from all over the world. But make sure to eat in a traditional taverna at least once.

A taverna is a casual restaurant with family-style dining. Diners can spend hours in them chatting with friends while sharing food paired with some great wine or ouzo (a Greek aperitif).

Greek food is more than just gyros.

Well-known dishes like gyros and souvlaki are truly delicious, but Greek cuisine is so much more than that.

For example, a lot of Greeks start their day with a tiropita (cheese pie) and freddo coffee. Each region also has local specialties that I recommend inquiring about.

In tavernas, popular menu items include calamari, octopus, all kinds of fish, grilled and fried cheeses (like saganaki and halloumi), and side dishes like fava.

Learn a few local words.

Most younger Greek people understand English, but you may run into problems communicating with older people — especially in more rural areas.

Even if a local person can understand you, I think it's nice to learn a few simple words and phrases like "good morning," "thank you," and "how are you?"

It's nice when tourists make a little bit of an effort.

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New Greek Resorts, Golden Visa Countries And More Travel News

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5 New Greek Hotels For Summer

W ith summer fast approaching, there are recently opened hotels and resorts in Greece to consider. From popular escapes such as Mykonos and Santorini to the lesser-known islands across the Aegean chain, here are five new Greek hotels worth checking out —and into.

10 Incredible Cruise Ship Features

For many years, the trend in cruise ship design has been that “bigger is better”—with vessels such as Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas setting new passenger records. But many cruise lines are also competing by offering innovative features to the high seas. From kart racing on multi-level courses to multiscreen movie theaters, here are some of the most incredible activities on cruise ships right now.

Disney World Earns Its First Michelin Star

Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian Resort—which has been a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant since 2018—added a new star to its constellation this month: It became the first Disney restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star . Located at the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World, Victoria and Albert’s is known for its opulent Victorian era-inspired meals. A prix-fixe dinner is $295 per guest, with optional wine pairings starting at $155 per person. Unlike the rest of the theme park, a formal dress code is encouraged for all diners, who must be 10 years of age or older.

Golden visas—which grant residency and/or citizenship through an investment—may be disappearing from Europe, but many EU countries are now luring travelers with digital nomad visas, which grant travelers the legal right to work remotely for an extended period. Italy recently became the latest country to offer the visa and here are other EU countries with digital nomad visas .

America’s Best Airlines 2024

The personal-finance website WalletHub recently announced its annual ranking of the best U.S. airlines . The study evaluates the nine largest national airlines and one regional carrier across a range of criteria, including safety, on-time records and overall service. This year, Alaska Airlines was named the best airline in America, beating out Delta, which ranked first in 2022 and 2023. The survey also ranked U.S. carriers based on reliability and comfort.

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