Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-01-23

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] 'Explore your senses' unveiled as Greece's tourism promotion theme for 2007

[02] Athens re-issues warning over 'royal auction'

[01] 'Explore your senses' unveiled as Greece's tourism promotion theme for 2007

On her part, relevant minister Fani Palli-Petralia reiterated that the tourism industry remains the Greek economy's "lifeblood", as she cited a figure of one billion euros per month from tourism-related revenues.

Moreover, Petralia cited a 10-percent increase in tourist arrivals for 2006, namely, 16 million tourists. She also said foreign exchange revenues from tourism reached approximately 12 billion euros, a 10-percent hike from 2005.

Additionally, the minister said 4,600 television spots promoting Greece as a tourism destination will be aired on major international networks, including Al-Jazeera. Beyond television, she said specialised publications and websites, ranging from airline magazines to sailing to convention tourism to winter sports, will be targeted.

Petralia said the main theme of the 2007 ad campaign will revolve around the slogan "Explore your senses".

Caption: A hot-air balloon hovers near the Acropolis in central Athens in this file photo dated Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006. ANA-MPA photo / O. PANAGIOTOU.

[02] Athens re-issues warning over 'royal auction'

"The culture ministry is systematically and methodically trying to protect the cultural heritage, namely Greek history," Voulgarakis told reporters on Tuesday amid the uproar over the auction.

He underlined that the objects in question are indisputably part of modern Greek history.

"In spite of the fact that the list of objects is long and detailed, their exact origin and the way they reached the auction house has not been made public," Voulgarakis said, while adding that the Greek state will notify auction participants that it reserves all legal rights.

Voulgarakis issued an "extrajudicial protest" a day earlier to the Christie's Auction House, calling for the withdrawal "of cultural goods appearing to belong to the collection of the King of the Hellenes, George I". The auction has been scheduled for Jan. 24-25 in London.

The protest was also conveyed to Britain's ambassador in Greece.

A culture ministry underlined that "from the list of the auction and from the investigation being conducted, it arises that the auctioned goods constitute part of the history of the modern Greek state and of our cultural heritage, resulting in the issue being raised of illegal export of cultural goods from Greece."

Caption: Voulgarakis (R) holds a small marble frieze shortly after it was formally returned by Swedish national Birgit Wiger-Angner (L) during a ceremony at the Acropolis in Athens, Friday, 10 November 2006. The 20-centimetre marble fragment, from the Erechtheion Temple on the Acropolis, came into the possession of the retired gym teacher from Stockholm in 1972, when she inherited it from her father, whose brother had brought it to Sweden with him on his return from a visit to Athens some 110 years ago. ANA-MPA photo /A. BELTES

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