Slipping down the economic ladder to become one of the European Union’s poorest country, Greece hopes to turn that on its head with a new tourism campaign touting just the opposite, if only for its heritage and history, its real riches.
The new Tourism Ministry’s campaign entitled Greece, the Richest Country in the World, was presented by Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefaloyianni, although it may not have been appreciated by Greeks pushed into poverty by unrelenting austerity measures being imposed by the government on the orders of international lenders.
The campaign consists of four video messages which will be gradually uploaded on the net and will be projected as a social message to online media viewing to the public awareness in a bid to attract tourists as the country is on pace to bring in a record 17 million visitors this year.
The purpose of this campaign, as Kefaloyianni explained, was to send a positive message to every Greek citizen, to every professional in tourism industry, in order to highlight the unique beauty of Greece in a modern an alternative way. She didn’t mention the record unemployment rate, soaring suicides, bounding homelessness and growing hopelessness.
“Let’s show our best self. Let’s prove our love for this land. Let’s remind to others how hospitable we are. Let’s advertise how good professionals we are. Let’s show the treasure of Greece in values, history and memories. The brand, the name “Greece” is omnipotent. It endures every crisis,” she said.
During the presentation, she was upbeat and said this will be a good year for Greece after a disappointing 2012 in which visitors stayed away in droves because of constant images of strikes, protests and riots against pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions.
”Good years are not given, but come – and come again- with much effort. Planning and perseverance. Collective work, too,” she said, for those who can find a job.
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