11/08/2019 16:47

Greece ups the ante

[IMG=18569-4154] While Tunisia is decreasing its investment in promoting its tour product on the territory of Russia (see the previous news), another Mediterranean country - Greece - is intending to increase it. As BANKO found out, next year Greece will continue the started campaign of active destination promotion in Russia. Until recently, the modern Hellas has been poorly financing advertisement, aimed at Russian consumers. So, in 2004 the advertising budget was 78 thousand Euro. The sum of expenses for this year was much more impressive - 1 million Euro. In 2006 this number will rise by not less than 15%, a BANKO correspondent was told at the Office of the Ministry of tourism of Greece in the Russian Federation. Experts relate these changes not only with the existing interest on the Russian market but also with global revision of policy in tourism. The new government of Greece, which came to power in 2004, declared that tourism will occupy the priority place in economy. Besides, the Olimpyads-2004, which brought 4.5 milliard TV-viewers watching it from all over the world, has created an attractive image for the country and provided the tourist interest. According to tourists, an increase of tourism promotion activity of Greece can also be explained by the competitive reasons: the neighbouring Turkey is topping the list of the volume of Russian holiday-makers. They area also changes in aspects of Greek advertisement. ‘If this year the stress was made on outdoor formats,’ - says Irina Tresorukova, PR specialist of the Greek office. – ‘This year a part of money will be provided for destination promotion in mass media and TV’. She also added that a promotion of new destination is under way: Ionic islands, Crete, Evia etc. Yet not all tour operators agree with such balance of stresses. Olga Eremenko, general director of ‘Patricia International’ believes that Greek islands do not need an additional advertisement unlike the continental part of the country where ‘past three years the information is not being updates’. Elena Suslova, senior manager of the exit tourism department at ‘Express Line’, noted a positive change in promoting Greece, yet mentioned the necessity to advertise the country as an all-year resort. Anatoliy Garkushin, general director of ‘Pantheon’ said that the previous winter the advertisement in Greece was not very effective. ‘It was blank, it was placed on bus stops and did not correspond to the season’. This year Mr. Garkushin noted ‘beautiful electronic indicator panel and banners’, which arrived to Moscow in connection with the MITF travel fair. He has also emphasized that while BBC and CNN offer for Greek promotional trailers acceptable prices, the Russian television remains too expensive for Greece.