Greece from Home

The Ministry of Tourism, the Corporate Members of  DIAZOMA, Marketing Greece and Google released the brand new platform “Greece from Home” today, which offers virtual visitors of Greece the possibility to discovery her beauties and to come in contact with Greek culture. It is a fascinating digital pillar, which contains rich content relating to Greek music, gastronomy, theatre, dance, athletics, and fashion. Furthermore, the platform shows videos with unique destinations in Greece while also offering opportunities for education through interactive group webinars.

Below, you can read the press release and “travel” to Greece, through “Greece from Home”!

Press Release

An Initiative of the Ministry of Culture, EOT, and Marketing Greece with support from Google

Athens. 2 April 2020. As we live through this period of crisis, with deep repercussions both for our fellow citizens and for the economy, it is more important than ever to guard public health above all. The Ministry of Tourism, the EOT and all touristic stakeholders are rallying behind the Greek government and fighting against the coronavirus pandemic, advising the only safe option for the entirety of Greek society, namely, the choice to “stay home”.

At the same time, the government and touristic stakeholders are demonstrating immediate reactions to the management of the serious crisis which COVID-19 causes in tourism. The same speedy reaction is present in the measures which the state is taking to support this branch, by common initiative of the Ministry of Culture, the EOT, and Marketing Greece, in creating the online platform Greece from Home, an Initiative to boost the image of our country throughout the duration of the pandemic.

The Initiative “Greece from Home” – with emphasis on “from home”, has three central aims: to help people from the entire world to stay in contact with Greek culture and traditions, to discover and to be inspired by the beauty of our country, and to strengthen their digital capabilities – all while staying home.

“Today’s government, besides taking measures to shield public health, to safeguard and re-start the economy and to re-structure Greek society, is taking initiatives to boost and manage the image of our country as a touristic destination, all in the context of the holistic strategic mechanism for coping with the COVID-19 epidemic,” stated the Minister of Tourism, Charis Theoarchis, with regards to the “Greece from Home” Initiative. He goes on to state: “We support entirely the choice for us all to stay home and with whatever has to do with the branch of tourism we preserve communication with our bases, with the basic message From Home, inside our Home; that is to say, our country, as well as whatever Greece stands for in ideas, values, and experiences. It’s especially important that in these difficult times, the public and private sector work together seamlessly and work with intense rhythms to deliver promptly the brand of Greek tourism in difficult circumstances, while simultaneously preparing for the future. I would like to thank EOT, Google, and Marketing Greece for their direct partnership in the design and implementation of this initiative.”

The design of the platform “Greece from Home” was executed by Steve Vranakis, Chief Creative Officer of the Greek government, and the creative teams of Ithaca Lab and Prinz & Co, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the EOT, Marketing Greece, and Google.

The EOT has moved forward with the online promotion of the platform, targeting the main markets of origin for visitors of our country so that through Greece from Home the relationship between Greece’s brand and the international audience is preserved throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Secretary of EOT, Mr. Demetris Fragakis, underlines that: “Greek tourism affirms itself decidedly present in an unprecedented crisis. While our visitors remain home, we as a brand and as a destination are by their side, from our homes, from Greece, through Greece from Home. And he adds: “With the campaign Greece from Home we grasp completely the difficult social and psychological conditions which the pandemic has enforced on almost the entire planet, and this is why we have as a basic goal to send a message of support to all those who find themselves suffering during this period. It is of course also, however, a strategic attempt to support Greek tourism in preparation for the future.”

“We are living in really challenging times, and that which all of us ought to do, is unify our strengths. Today, more than ever, Greece and Greek tourism need to send out as broadly as possible their message of hope and optimism, that these days will pass by, and soon we will all be together again. Until this time comes, we invite the community of international travelers to dream from the safety of their homes of the moment in which they will visit out country and live the Greek summer,” shares Ms. Ioanna Dretta, International Advisor of Marketing Greece, with regards to the Initiative. Marketing Greece is supporting the platform Greece From Home with original content about Greece through discovergreece.com, promoting myriad aspects of the country and of the experiences it offers, and given the public the inspiration to dream.

The third pillar of the Initiative Greece from Home, which has to do with education, is directed first and foremost to Greek professionals in the tourism sector and is being implemented in collaboration with Google. Google is providing important digital tools and free interactive education from home, through the program Grow Greek Tourism Online.

From her part, Ms. Peggy Antonakou, General Manager South East Europe for Google, states: “The period which we are living through represents a unique invitation for our society and economy. The immediate priority right now is health, but it is important nonetheless that we continue to communicate, to create, and to learn. It is in this direction that we are supporting this important Initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, so that, with the help of technology and the platform YouTube, it can be utilized in the best possible way for Greek tourism, during the period that we remain home. Parallelly, we are facilitating learning initiatives like Grow Greek Tourism Online. Our goal is for the tourism sector to be strengthened with digital tools and capabilities so that it is able to handle the challenges of these days, but also to be holistically re-enforced for an even better future.”

In more detail, the initiative #greecefromhome is made up of three pillars:

See

People are encouraged and inspired to stay home, staying connecting with the country’s culture, through the channel EOT Visit Greece on Youtube. The channel will offer new and select content from Greek creators around the world, and will include among other things Greek music, gastronomy, theatre, dance, athletics, fashion, as well as videos with destinations and experiences from all of Greece.

Travel

The goal here is for everyone to be able to “visit” Greece from home. Through www.discovergreece.com, a digital pillar with rich content and fascinating digital experiences is created. Archaeological sites and museums, villages and traditions, gastronomy, walks, and enjoyment of nature … all from the safety of our homes.

Learn

For the purpose of bolstering businesses relating to tourism with the appropriate capabilities, the initiative Greece from Home in collaboration with the program Grow Greek Tourism Online of Google, is presenting a new series of learning initiatives, from home. These trainings are available online from the 2^nd of April and are being offered for free on a daily basis. They include interactive online group seminars, which cover a broad array of themes, from how to create a digital marketing plan for your business, to how to work remotely, and many more. The possibility for one-on-one virtual meetings with specialized Google collaborators is also being offered, so that every business is able to receive personalized advice for their digital presence, customized to its needs.

All those who are interested can receive more information and sign up to participate through this page:  g.co/greektourism/seminarsfromhome.

With the completion of the seminars, those participating will receive a certificate of participation from Google, the Ministry of Tourism, and IAB Europe.

The main launch video for the platform can be found here: