GNTO eyes last-minute bookings
Social media and Internet platforms such as Google are to form the basis of a last-ditch effort by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) to tell the world that Greece is welcoming last-minute tourism.
The GNTO is to invest 200,000 euros and cooperate with the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE), with the support of regional authorities and tourism entities, for the campaign, which is titled: “Happening Now: #GreekSummer.” Its aim is to restore the flow of bookings to the level seen before the government called this month’s referendum.
The direct tourism revenues of August that are at stake and derive from expenditures by foreign tourists amount to an estimated 3.2 billion euros. After the referendum was called on June 26, last-minute bookings from the Greek and the international markets posted a sharp decline.
Sources say that the campaign via Google will concern users who perform searches using specific keywords. A banner will appear on top of the screen leading to the greeksummer2015.com website, which is currently under construction. The campaign will run for a month targeting the markets of Germany, Britain, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries.
