Between January and June of 2018, over 10 million passengers have been welcomed at the Athens International Airport (AIA), an 11.1 percent increase compared to the same period in 2017.

According to AIA, the increase in travelers came from a siginificant rise in the number of international travelers, which has risen 15.7 percent. Domestic travelers increased by 2.3 percent.

In June alone, AIA welcomed 2.43 million passengers, an 11.6 percent increase from June 2017.

News source: Greek Travel Pages

After 30th anniversary's festivities last year, the festival now enters its fourth decade with the aim to challenge the boundaries and experience of a traditional festival of photography.

Exploring critical issues relevant to our times, the festival functions as a dynamic platform where the social impact of the ever-changing visual culture can be raised and discussed. Athens Photo Festival 2018 brings together over 120 emerging and established international artists from 32 countries with the aim to reflect the diversity of contemporary photography, and to create opportunities for exchange of ideas, artistic expression and international engagement.

The 2018 main exhibitions take place from 6 June to 29 July 2018, at the Benaki Museum (Pireos St. Annexe). At the core of the festival is a range of events, including portfolio reviews, screenings, talks and discussions, workshops, and various community and participatory projects. In addition to the main venue-based programme, the festival encourages community involvement through satellite exhibitions in various locations in the city.

The main exhibition program, which covers over 2,000 square meters, is divided into sections, striving to create a dialogue between different thematic ideas, woven into one whole.

Click HERE to view the exhibition's program! 

On Thursday July 19th, Wyndham Grand Athens and Best Radio 92.6 invite you to a special After Office Party at the hotel's Roof Garden, the ABOVE Rooftop Bar Restaurant!

On the 9th floor of Wyndham Grand Athens and next to impressive city and acropolis panoramic views, guests are invited to join the 2nd After Office Event and enjoy refreshing drinks or signature cocktails, while listening to great music choices by Best Radio's DJs! 

Music by:

Evi Sidiropoulou

G.PAL

Maria Papidaki

Theodosis Michos

Beers: starting from 6 €

Wines by the Glass: starting from 6€

Standard Drinks: starting from 9 €

Cocktails: starting from 12 €

Standard Vodka Bottle Service: starting from 100 €

For world famous basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece holds a special place in his heart.

Because of his love and ties to the country, the Minister of Tourism, Elena Kountoura, invited Mr. Antetokounmpo to become an ambassador of Greek tourism and help promote the country to the world. 

The Minister of Tourism was very emotional when she saw how much the NBA star loves Greece, who accepted her invitation straight away. Unofficially, Giannis has been promoting the country through his succesful achievements.

Giannis, of course, wanted to thank the Minister of Tourism for her effort to strenghten Greek tourism and stated that he and his family will do anything to boost the beauty and culture of his beloved country.

Furthermore, the Milwaukee Bucks player ran for a good cause on July 7th, 2018, encouraging solidarity in Greece.

The video below shows the tourism campaign by Visit Greece where Antetokounmpo invites you to his beautiful country!



Originally posted in Greek on Athens Voice
Translated by XpatAthens

No doubt in our minds that Athens is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With historical ancient sites and exceptional beaches along the coast, Athens is a fascinating place for both tourists and locals. Most sightseeing is done during the day, but Athens is just as wonderful and impressive at night.Below are some excellent spots to sit and stargaze!



Thiseio


@observatoryathens

Right in the heart of Athens, the bright lights of the busy city might not create the best circumstances for a crystal clear sky, but the local observatory and its telescope have sure taken care of it! So next time you're downtown, don't forget to pay it a visit.

Penteli


@paranoid_pastel

The Penteli Observatory is undoubtedly one of the most famous observatories in Greece. Whether you live in Athens or just visiting, you can take part in one of the organized tours that they offer, which include walking at night and observing the clear sky through a Newall telescope.

Sounio


@leva_alex

One of the most magical places outside of Athens is the famous Sounio. The Temple of Poseidon and its sandy beach just under it make it a once in a lifetime oppurtunity to gaze at the sky while enjoying a refreshing swim. 

Elikonas


@tasos_palamidas

Just about an hour away from Athens lies the country town of Elikonas, which offers a fantastic site in the woods to gaze at the stars. The place is called Arvanitsa where visitors can also enjoy a quick bite far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Kitheronas


@kimon_papathanasopoulos

The mountain of Kitheronas is situated between Attica and Viotia and has become a favorite place for passionate stargazers. If you do visit it, the best place for a great view of the sky is near the EOS Eleusina shelter, Vaggelis Tsakos.

The 1st Folegandros Sunset Trail running race was successfully organized, for the first time, on Saturday 3rd June 2018. The late afternoon route offered a unique and lovely experience to all participants.

The second race of the Cyclades Trail Cup 2018 was held in Folegandros island on 30rd June. The 1st trail running race: Folegandros Sunset Trail had one route, 10 kilometers long.

The starting point was at Ano Meria village in front of the Iliovasilema tavern and finish line was at the famous Pounta square of Chora village. The route followed the south-west coastline and all athletes run next to the gradient blue of the Aegean Sea while watching the sun set, “painting” the sky with his reddish colors.

Athletes form 6 countries of the world and many Greek islands had filled the registration form pretty early on. The total number of registrations almost reached the 100, which is a lot for a small island of the South West Aegean Sea. Athletes from islands like Andros, Sifnos, Milos and Syros came to run alongside visitors from Italy, Sweden, Ukraine, Australia, Canada and the USA! On Saturday 30 June, 53 athletes started the race.

The first runner reachenig the finish line and setting the official best time, was Daniel Parheden from Sweden, finishing in 1:09:21. The Ukraine-Russian athlete, Raman Burakov, came second just 3 seconds later with 1:09:24. In the third place of the 10km race, came Christos Kiriazakos from Mykonos island with the time of 1:10:20.

In the women category, Voula Katsavou won the 10km race with the time of 1:31:45. Katerina Koukaki finished in second place with 1:32:00 and in third place came Valentina Makri with the time of 1:37:00.

In a special category, the organizers awarded the 1st man and woman, local to Folegandros island. The first woman was Anastasia Dekavala and the first man Antonis Papadopoulos with the time of 2 hours and 7 minutes and 1 hour and 31 minutes accordingly.

Every race and course offers score points for Cyclades Trail Cup, determined by the new CTC_PointSystem. The athlete that earns the highest amount of points by the end of the year will be the winner of Cyclades Trail Cup 2018. The Folegandros Sunset Trail 10km race awarded all runners you 43 points

Located in the heart of downtown near Syntagma Square, The Pie Shop opened its doors in October 2017 with the motto, "Bake the world a better place." Dating back to Minoan times and 5th century BC onwards, pies were everywhere in ancient Athens, most notably the cheese pie. Not much has changed today, as pies can still be seen being enjoyed all over Greece.

Amidst this sea of Greek pies, The Pie Shop is looking beyond national borders to the large variety of pies across the globe. The shop is owned by two women, Marina and Nanda, who love food and love to bake. All the pastries are handmade and prepared with only the best ingredients. After having spent most of her adult life working in the food industry, Nanda has learned the simple secret to success: use the finest and freshest ingredients.

During their visit, Culinary Backstreets tasted their way across the globe, from Indian samosas to Argentinian empanadas and British egg and bacon pie – we even tasted a Korean tomato tart that rivaled the Mediterranean version. All of these many different pies looked good and tasted even better.

Address: Voulis 16, Syntagma

Telephone: +30 211 403 7328

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-6pm; closed Sunday

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

According to a research team at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DEMETER in Athens, Greek feta cheese could turn probiotic. This would help meet the demand for food to be 'functional' and healthy.

The researchers began with the bacterial strain Lactobacillus planetarum T571 to produce probiotic feta. The results were of a high quality cheese, with characteristics very similar to traditional feta.

The scientists stated to the Dairy Reporter, "In today's global food industry, the probiotic market is encountering an unprecedented growth to conform with the consumer demand for new products with health benefits. Considering the global demand, L. planetarum strain is a promising adjunct candidate to develop functional feta."

To read this article in full, please visit: The Dairy Reporter

Greece received many accolades at the recent World Travel Awards held in Athens, with the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) awarded as the organisation with the best national tourist strategy and campaign in 2018.

The General Secretary of GNTO Constantinos Tsegas received Europe’s Leading National Tourism Strategy & Campaign 2018 Award and referred to the successful multilevel programme implemented by GNTO, according to the Tourism Ministry’s strategy.

Additionally, GNTO’s President of the Board, Charalambos Karimalis, received Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2018 for the Acropolis.

To read the full article visit Greekcitytimes.com

The 6^th Petit Paris d'Athènes is already underway!

The festival will take place from the 4th to the 14th of October 2018 and will be in the general area of the centre of Athens including Omonoia square, Larissa Station and Peloponnisos Station, Metaxourgeio, St Paul square and Victoria square. These are the neighborhoods where many streets are named in French and have served as cultural meeting points between the cosmopolitan and folk culture of Athens with foreign traditions of refugees, travelers and visitors.

The festival’s theme is “May of 1968. Fifty Years Later...” (Mai 1968. Cinquante ans après...) Petit Paris d'Athènes includes music, art and photography exhibitions, street art, theatre and variete, performances, street shows and parties, lectures, “tables rondes” and “rendez-vous sociaux”, guided tours and educational programs.

The festival is co-organised by the Athens Art Network, the City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization, and the Region of Attica. It is under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and has the support of the French embassy and the French Institute of Greece.

The festival's goal is to mend through art and culture some of the most abused neighborhoods in Athens and to allow young artists to thrive. In essence, it is a 10 day celebration of art and culture in which more than 500 artists and people of intellect from Greece and worldwide participate at multiple selected places (such as streets, squares, parks, theatres, conservatoires, galleries, bistros, schools, neo-classical buildings, hotels and many other alternative spaces).

In 2013 the festival was dedicated to Albert Camus for the 100th anniversary of his birth and in 2014 to the Βelle Époque and the start of World War I. In 2015 the theme was “The culture of Café and Bistros” with a special nod to rive gauche in post-war Paris. In 2016 the festival was about Team Spirit and Arts and lastly, in 2017 Petit Paris d' Athènes was dedicated to Woman in Europe.

In 2018, the festival’s theme is “May of 1958. Fifty years later...”

How did the French revolution of May in 1968, without any racial, political, cultural or societal discrimination, but with a strong international impact, become a landmark in 20 th century history, influence and continues to influence societal struggles and cultural expression both in France and around the world? Art, either militant for a cause or simply as a product of a free mind, deeply marked the revolution of ‘68 has been a movement of timeless value.

For all artist and cultural groups interested in joining the 6th Petit Paris d' Athènes, the proposed artwork should be inspired by the revolution itself or the general ideas and values as well as the main and side actions of societal struggle to this day.

Suggestions are to be submitted via e-mail to info@mikroparisi.com and should include:

• all info on the project plus a short description of it (up to 200 words)
• a digital sample of the suggestion
• collaborators’ personal details (in both English and Greek)
• a short CV of the artist/ team

Information for volunteers

Volunteers interested in joining in photography team or organizing team of the festival are welcome to send a short CV via e-mail to info@mikroparisi.com.

Throughout the preparation of the festival, all volunteers are expected to take part in the scheduled seminars and after completing the predetermined time of participation and volunteer work, they will receive a certificate of participation.

Info & contact: info@mikroparisi.com

Website: Petitparisdathenes.com

Facebook: Petit Paris d' Athènes - το μικρό Παρίσι των Αθηνών