The opening hours of the major archaeological sites in Greece have got better in recent years – in the past, if you were visiting in the early spring or late autumn, you might well find even important sites in Athens shut at 2pm. This new move to open all the sites from 8am until 8pm from Spring through to Autumn will definitely make it easier for more people to see sites such as the Acropolis, as well as hopefully reducing the scale of the crowds at the busiest times.

Tourism promotion outside the Greek parliament

From:
Kathimerini (English Edition)

Friday February 28, 2014 (18:49)
Ministry extends opening hours of sites, museums in spring and autumn

With more than 18.5 million tourists expected to visit Greece this year, topping record arrivals in 2013, the Culture Ministry has moved ahead with the long-awaited extension of opening hours at museums and archaeological sites.

Starting on April 1, 33 of the country’s 117 gated sites and museums are to remain open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week – hours usually reserved for the summer season and on fewer days, as well as limited to a smaller number of attractions.
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One of the most prominent signs to tourists, of the financial crisis affecting Greece, is the seemingly never-ending strikes that beleaguer the country.

While the strikers are striking for a reason, when one hears stories of people whose holidays have been ruined by them, one wonders about the effect that they have on tourism. As the second article points out, tourism is set to rise again – but everything must be done within Greece to promote this & show the tourists that they will have an enjoyable stay there.

One thing missed by many of these articles about strikes in Greece is that the New Acropolis Museum is run in a very different way to the majority of state owned archaeological sites in Greece – and as such, has never been closed due to strike action.

From:
Greek Reporter

Strike Closes Greek Museums, Sites
By Andy Dabilis on March 8, 2013

Once again, and as Greece has picked up its campaign to lure tourists back after a disappointing last year, archaeological sites and museums were closed because of a workers’ strike against more pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions being imposed by the government on the orders of international lenders.

A 24-hour strike on March 8 shut down the sites across the country. The workers said they were also protesting plans to cut back the Culture Ministry’s operations although it is essential to the tourism industry, the biggest revenue-producer for the country.
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More coverage of the effects that the Greek debt crisis is having on the country’s museums & historic sites. This is a problem, not just for the tourists who are unable to get access, but also for the monuments themselves, which may now have lower levels of security & smaller maintenance budgets than was previously the case.

From:
Reuters

Debt crisis strikes Greek monuments, irks tourists
By Gareth Jones
ATHENS | Tue Dec 6, 2011 8:51am EST

(Reuters) – At the end of a sunny day on the Acropolis last month, Svein Davoy gazed awe-struck at the columns of the Parthenon gleaming in the twilight.

“It’s marvellous. This is where Western civilisation began. I will certainly tell my friends to come to Greece and see all this,” enthused Davoy, 63, an economist from Norway.
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Two new planes purchased by Aegean Airlines will publicise the New Acropolis Museum, with huge images of artefacts from the museum painted on their sides. This will publicise the New Acropolis Museum to help Greek Tourism – something that will also help to publicise the issue of the Parthenon Marbles.

(If you click through to the original article, there are images of the two planes.)

From:
Aegean Air

2 new Airbus aircraft, “Cleisthenes” and “Pheidias”, take the New Acropolis Museum and Greece on a journey around the world
Athens, November 26, 2009

Aegean, the largest Greek airline, announced a national cultural initiative, ultimately aiming at boosting the country’s international image, as well as supporting Greek tourism. In particular, the two new Airbus Α320 aircraft bearing the image of the Acropolis Museum’s Kori of Athens were presented during an event held at the company’s technical base. The inscription urges us to “Discover the New Acropolis Museum”, not to mention the Museum’s website at http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr. “Cleisthenes” and “Pheidias” become a live invitation to the New Acropolis Museum for millions of passengers throughout the world. They will be calling us on a tour through civilization, at each and every destination, at each and every airport.

These two airplanes however are not the only “vehicles” promoting the Museum and Greece. From the beginning of 2010 onwards, a special video that will be provided by the Museum will be broadcast aboard all 22 brand new Airbus aircraft owned by AEGEAN during all international flights. The video will introduce the newest jewel of Greece and Athens to travelers, let alone arouse their interest and encourage a visit.
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More coverage of the successful first few days since the opening of the New Acropolis Museum.

From:
GRReporter

Successful first days for the Acropolis Museum
01 July 2009

The new Acropolis Museum, which was officially opened on June 20th, is finding itself a fundamental place in the Athenian life. The dozed off neighborhood around the streets “Makriyanni,” “Hadzihristou,” and “Mitzeon,” which were suffering the long construction period, are now turning into the liveliest part of the Greek capital. The patience of shop and coffee house owners, whose patience was running out because of the construction, is finally going to pay off. Long lines of tourists from all over the world are formed in front of the elegant building of the museum. 120 000 people have visited the museum for the first 10 days of its opening, which means that there were 12 000 people per day!

During the first five days, tickets could be bought only online and daily, 11 000 tickets were sold. Many people prefer to reserve their tickets over the phone and others – through a tourist agency. Right now, the Acropolis Museum is working on a longer day – from 08:00AM until 08:00PM but the lines start forming long before the opening hour. All celebrities, who come to Athens, also visit the museum. The mentioned stretched working times will remain until the end of 2009.
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A new campaign to encourage visitors to visit London is listing tings that con;y only be seen by coming to London. One of the items on this list is the Rosetta Stone – somewhat ironic, considering where it came from & the disputes over its ownership – perhaps unsurprising though considering the views of the current Mayor.

From:
Mayor of London

Press Release
‘Only in London’ – Mayor reveals plans for £60 million tourism boost to capital’s economy
20-3-2009 153

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today called on the world to come to London for the experience of a lifetime, as he announced a new £2million international marketing campaign to boost overseas visitors to the capital.

The Mayor launched the campaign on The London Eye, one of the capital’s most popular and unique attractions, on the first day of British Tourism Week.
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Most people inherently accept nowadays that it is wrong to take pieces of ancient artefacts home. Throughout history, there are always people who have been ignorant (whether knowingly or unknowingly) of such rules (whether they are written or unwritten). Nowadays, those that are ignorant of these rules invariably have to face the consequences when they are found out.

From:
Globe & Mail (Boston)

How to avoid a $17,000 souvenir
Some travellers are ignorant. Others blatant ‘touristic vandals.’ Either way, picking up a rock of ages can cost you – or make your next hotel a jail cell. Dave McGinn reports on the problem of protocol
DAVE MCGINN
June 4, 2008 at 10:20 AM EDT

All Madelaine Gierc wanted was to be in a photograph. Instead, she wound up at the centre of an international incident.

During a trip to Greece in 2005, the then-16-year-old student from Duncan, B.C., picked up a rock on a path near the Parthenon and was promptly arrested, charged and jailed. Under the country’s protection laws, it is illegal to buy, sell, own or excavate antiquities without a special permit – a crime that carries a maximum 10-year sentence. She claimed, however, that she only intended to use the rock as a prop in a photo and was released after two days in an Athens jail.
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