Tornos News | Angela Gerekou, Soul Tourism: Greece is changing narrative and philosophy
In the heart of another Greek summer, EOT President Angela Gerekou sends her own message, highlighting that the deepest mission of Greek tourism in 2025 is not only to "fill" the rooms, but to fill the souls.
"The images are familiar, moving: children's voices in the alleys, people that unite people, a dip in the Aegean that looks like redemption. This is the Greek summer. But today, the bet is bigger: we don't just want tourists; we want people who will leave here excited, "she says in a post.
"Greece in 2025 is changing the narrative. From a destination product, it is transformed into a life proposal. From a country that welcomes, in a country associated with the visitor in depth, "he says, outlining a new tourist philosophy based on sustainability, authenticity, and essence.
Emphasizing balanced tourism development, Angela Gerekou talks about the distribution of visitors, highlighting less prominent destinations, enhancing slow tourism, and active support of local communities: "Tourism becomes a balance tool, with respect to humans, in place and culture."
It is not just museums and festivals, but a whole lifestyle. "Culture is part of the daily life of the traveler, not as something 'additional' but as a living part of the place," he says.
And finally, there is the big difference: "The goal is not to come to the tourist, but to move him. To become a participant, an ambassador of Greece. To return home not with nice photos, but with a sigh and a memory that will say, "I felt there, man, not a customer."
"And if we do, then Greece will not just win a good tourist year, but something deeper: the hearts of its visitors, forever," concludes the EOT president with meaning.