...a landscape is not, as many people conceive it, just a sum of land, plants and waters. It is the projection of the soul of a people on matter.
Odysseas Elytis
Greece is a country with many faces. It is certain that more than one visits are necessary in order for someone to say that they know one of its faces well. That is why, visitors coming to Greece for the first time usually come back in order to experience again what impressed them or to explore what they could not seek the previous times. If there is something that all agree on is that when leaving –irrespective of how many times you have visited the country- you always have the feeling that there is a big part of Greece that you have not seen and therefore, there are many reasons to come back. The moments of leaving Greece are always the starting point of making plans to return.
Tourism and Greece are two concepts directly connected bringing to mind charming associations of pictures, sounds, feelings, people. The Mediterranean temperate climate of the country, the versatility of the environment, the monuments and its history, the clean seas and the proverbial hospitality of the Greek people have attracted a big number of tourists to the country for many years now. According to figures of the World Organization of Tourism, Greece is in the 15th position among the countries of the planet with the biggest number of arrivals (approximately 12.5 million tourists in 2000). Consequently, tourism is one of the basic wealth-producing resources of the country, something verified by the fact that Greece is in the 10th position among the countries with the highest tourist income all over the world.
The tourist infrastructure in Greece is fully developed. The visitor can find tourist agents in every part of the country ready to provide the necessary services and information and the organizational infrastructure for various forms of tourism.
The dynamic efforts of the Greek people to develop tourist services have made Greece an important attraction pole for people from all over the world and moreover, for people with different needs and preferences. The Greek National Tourist Organization (GNTO) plays an important role in the development of tourism in Greece. It continuously tries to incorporate the principles of sustainability into the developmental practices of the tourist sector, promoting the protection of the natural environment and the country’s cultural heritage. GNTO offices can be found both in Greece as well as abroad.
