New tourism campaign turns the spotlight on Athens
The Ministry of Tourism and the Athens municipal authority have joined forces with Google in a new online initiative that shines the spotlight on lesser-known attractions in the Greek capital.
“Athens: The City is the Museum” is available at athens.withgoogle.com and presents users with a map indicating a series of walks and stops showcasing the city’s street art, music, food and architecture, as well as enticing them to explore neighborhoods off the beaten the path. The campaign also seeks to underscore Athens’ attractiveness as an all-year destination.
Speaking at the initiative’s launch, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias explained that it stems from an effort that began in April 2000 to promote the notion of sustainable tourism. Describing it as a “travel experience,” Kikilias said the app “opens up Athens to visitors who want to experience the city’s pulse.”
“Athens is not just its impressive antiquities and wonderful museums. The entire city is a unique, vibrant, open, interactive, huge museum that gives visitors hundreds of ‘stages,’ ‘exhibits’ and experiences, all year round,” said Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.
“Visitors to the city, but also its residents, will be able to discover a different part of Athens every day, thanks to technology,” added Peggy Antonakou, Google’s general manager for Southeast Europe.
Steve Vranakis, the executive director of Google Creative Lab for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, described “Athens. The city is the museum” as a means of seeing the Greek capital from a different perspective, through the “image of a modern and constantly evolving city.”
