Greece is making headlines again, but this time it’s not about its questionable economy.
With the travel industry seeing a recent spike in demand for Greek holidays among UK travellers, National Geographic Traveller (UK) has featured Greece on its April cover with the title: ‘A Modern Classic. Greece: a creative renaissance’.
Within the edition artists, musicians, chefs, and entrepreneurs are featured, giving readers an insight into how the crisis has created the opportunity for some to turn traditions on their head in a bid to pursue their dreams.
“Not only are UK tour operators reporting that bookings to Greece are significantly up for 2017, but it seems the country is also in the midst of a creative bloom,” said National Geographic Traveller (UK) deputy editor, Glen Mutel.
“Our cover story shines a light on some of the people who have contributed to this, from graffiti artist Cacao Rocks – who appears alongside his work on our eye-catching cover – to sculptor Stathis Alexopoulos.”
The feature was put together by contributor John Malathronas, who said that it became very clear through his research that “Greeks are proud of their ancestry”, even now in darker and more challenging times.
“The resourceful way they’re coping with the financial crisis demonstrates an ingenuity and creativity equal to any they’ve exhibited in times of calamity throughout the 30-odd centuries of their history,” Mr Malathronas said.
Among the UK operators seeing a surge in the number of travellers venturing to Greece are Kuoni, who reported a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings, while Thomas Cook has seen a 40 per cent rise and it’s not just to the popular islands, but the mainland destinations also.