Chase on for cultural tourists

A range of new cultural events to be held in Athens and Thessaloniki annually will be the main force to drive a campaign to make Greece a preferred destination for cultural tourists, the government said yesterday. The events, which were announced by Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, include an international children’s book exhibition, an architecture biennale, and «archaeology and tourism exhibition» and an international cartoon competition – all of which will be held in Athens. Thessaloniki will host a modern art and photography biennale, a festival of Southeast European theater and an international flute and violin competition. Voulgarakis said that Greece had to do more to put itself on the modern cultural map and that these annual events would help «promote the country and strengthen international interest.» When asked why only Athens and Thessaloniki were being lined up to host the events, the minister said that «other cities do not have the infrastructure.»