Marketing strategy pays off for Athens

The quality and specific targeting of this multifaceted campaign over European media and the internet, mostly invisible in Greece, bore abundant fruit that only now become apparent.

Athens whose tourism had been in decline over the past decade, has shown a remarkable resurgence for the first time. The uniqueness of the “city break” that the McCann agency undertook to promote for the Region of Attica contributed significantly to luring a record number of tourists, and not just during peak season.

Greek media reports show that even from September to now, tourists are still flocking to Athens, making ques at the Acropolis, even in mid-winter, something borne out by hoteliers and tourism professionals.

Through the campaign, according to the Region's announcement, Athens has managed to enter the list of cities benefiting from lucrative city break tourism, while tourists who visited Athens during the winter have been very satisfied with prices and offered services, as the announcement notes, adding that they felt justified in choosing the specific time as they enjoyed a European capital that offered relatively nice weather and “the friendliest people they had met.”

Region director Yannis Sgouros commenting on the campaign said: “The campaign by the Region of Attica is adapting daily to international developments and the contemporary demands of the tourism industry and will continue to bear impressive results in the new year. The work being done is bearing fruit. We can make it happen, in close collaboration with all involved tourism institutions and sector professionals. In any event, we have common aims: to offer reliable services to visitors of Attica and promote our history, culture, and natural beauty of our land in the best possible manner.”