Getting Beyond the ‘Postcard Greece’
byRichard D'Ambrosio/
For many American travelers, Greece is a handful of Instagrammable port stops on a Mediterranean cruise, and the obligatory tour of the Acropolis in Athens.
但希腊旅游专家和与会者American Society of Travel Agents’ (ASTA) 2018 Destination Expo say that agents can grow their businesses and encourage repeat Greece sales by helping their clients explore beyond the popular picture-postcard locations, helping travelers realize the historical and cultural riches the country has to offer.
“美国旅行者未发现的地点很多,”美国驻希腊大使杰弗里·皮亚特(Geoffrey R. Pyatt)在他的讲话中开幕。“在我看来,希腊最好的部分是扩展的组合,可以看到该国的山区,食物和文化。当地社区想要更多的美国游客。”
Santorini Wine Tour和Grand Reserve Travel的董事总经理兼所有者Vaios Panagiotoulas专门在著名的爱琴海岛上从事葡萄酒和烹饪体验。他说,他90%的生意来自美国人通过互联网找到他的美国人。
“They come to us because they are looking for unforgettable memories,” he said. A typical tour with his company includes exploring Chania and its villages on the island of Crete, half- and full-day tours in around Athens and Attica, and luxury ground transportation and guides to the Macedonia-influenced northern region of Greece.
beplay客服旅行市场报告直接经历了这种当地风味,探索了科富岛(Corfu)岛,这是萨托里尼(Santorini),米科诺斯(Mykonos)或赫德拉(Hydra)等岛屿岛(Hydra)的访问量较小的目的地。
鲜为人知的岛屿拥有更大的机会
科孚岛位于阿尔巴尼亚南部海岸的北部爱奥尼亚海,是第二大爱奥尼亚岛,表面积为230平方英里,人口少于100,000居民。
该岛的主要城镇拥有各种规模的游轮,并拥有反映目的地法国,威尼斯和英国统治者的建筑。The town of Corfu’s old quarter offers an incredibly broad collection of accommodations, from small hotels in historic older buildings, to the 115-room Corfu Palace Hotel, a short walk from the Spianada, a grand square and park that separates the old quarter from one of the village’s two medieval fortresses and ideally suited for people watching.
Corfu's Spianada is wonderful for dining and people watching.
The town also hosts a wide variety of activities, with winding streets and alleys filled with a wide assortment of shops and restaurants. It is a popular destination on all the major cruise line itineraries.
But the small nature of the island also allows visitors to get away quickly to idyllic, quiet coves like Paleokastritsa, small villages, cypress-lined valleys and cliff-top cafes.
科孚岛度假宫酒店位于卡诺尼(Kanoni)小社区的高海角,距离主要城镇向南几分钟。僻静的物业设有264间客房和大约40个平房,可欣赏爱奥尼亚海的壮丽景色。
“Everyone knows Santorini and Mykonos, and I love Crete. But Corfu was a surprise,” said Sophia Kulich, CTC and owner of Sophia’s Travel, Tampa, Florida, describing her post-expo fam there. “I recommend it for European ambiance, Greek lifestyle, the beautiful views. And add on Albania. The day cruise there was a cherry-on-top with the archeological Butrint site.”
Kulich is referring to the 60-minute ferry ride to Sarandë, an Albanian port town burgeoning with new hotels and long-term rental apartments popular with European travelers. From Sarandë, clients can visit the country’s National Park preserving the little-known ruins of Butrint, the site of succeeding Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman outposts.
Greece’s “Second City” is rich with culture and history
About 45 minutes north of Athens by air is the Greek port city of Thessaloniki. A modern 20th-century city, Thessaloniki was destroyed during a fire in 1917, but you can still find signs of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history, especially in the Ano Poli section of town, and in the ruins of Roman Emperor Galerius’ 4th-century palace.
“I was pleasantly surprised with Thessaloniki,” said Ryan Roman, a tenured travel consultant at Sunset Travel & Cruise in Chicago, Illinois, who attended the expo. “That area of Greece I would sell more to the person who is immersed in and loves history. Also, there are beaches not too far away.”
一家高高的咖啡馆,古希腊村庄Paleokastritsa。
Roman said history buffs who are initially attracted to Athens and the Acropolis, might also be interested in the history of the Royal tombs of Phillip II, the father of Alexander. The tomb site includes an extensive underground museum.
“此外,在使徒保罗来传教的维埃拉镇,还有一座纪念碑献给他。在接触到元素超过2,000年后,看到马赛克仍然显示出一些颜色,这是一种景象。现在,它也被称为大学城,我听说他们拥有欧洲最好的哲学部门之一。而且,那里的食物很棒。”
总体而言,罗马人认为,任何希望舒适地沉浸在当地文化中的客户都应该考虑希腊。“不仅食物令人惊奇,而且人们只是言语。我喜欢他们如何对待您的家庭,并会竭尽所能确保您得到照顾。”
即使在大城市中脱离
While Athens is the country’s crowded capital, it also affords opportunities for clients to immerse themselves beyond the typical tourist locales.
Kulich arrived in Athens early to explore it, she said. “I enjoyed its unhurried step, the friendly people, markets, street food. I did not expect such a high quality of cheeses — it rivals Italy and France.”
“我重新审视了犹太人的遗址,并探索了普拉卡(Plaka)的角落,即古罗马的阿格拉(Agora)购物,去了市场并取样了食物。这是非常实惠的食物和质量的。”
库利希强烈推荐阿纳菲奥蒂卡(Anafiotika),这是雅典卫城后面东北坡上的一个小山坡社区。复制诸如Santorini和Hydra之类的岛屿建筑,该社区充满了小房屋,铺有咖啡馆和露台的小巷。
Yiannis Yiannakakis, managing director of Athens Walking Tours, who started the company with his wife Despina Savvidou, a licensed guide, said he is seeing incredible growth in a brand new tour of the Acropolis that ends on the streets of Anafiotika, Monastiraki and Plaka.
“It looks like Santorini or any other island,” Kulich said.
家族拥有和经营的圣乔治·莱卡贝特斯(St. George Lycabettus Lifestyle Hotel)的销售总监Faye Petrova位于Lycabettus Hill的Pine-Forpess山坡上,她的酒店充满了美国人,他们的酒店充满了在雅典寻找不同当地的感觉。
这家精品店在一个安静的社区中提供154间客房和15个套房,里面充满了使馆,用餐选择和零售商店,以及雅典卫城的壮丽屋顶咖啡馆。