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About us

Imagining Greece: How Tourism Shaped a Nation
Imagining Greece is a digital exhibition that explores the evolution of tourism in Greece from the end of World War II to the closing chapters of the Cold War. The exhibition examines multiple aspects of the phenomenon by showcasing a wealth of textual and visual material curated from a wide range of state and private archival repositories and sources, including the Greek National Tourism Organisation, architectural firms, advertising agencies and both domestic and foreign press and periodicals. It is further enriched by an ongoing oral history project that captures firsthand experiences from specialists and the general public. We hope this exhibition will bring the history of tourism in Greece to life while deepening understanding of its profound impact—both on Greek society itself and on the millions of international visitors whose journeys have helped transform Greece into one of the world's most beloved destinations.

Our Team
We are an interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning history, visual culture, design studies, architectural history, cultural heritage, and digital humanities. Led by Professor Eirini Karamouzi (Principal Investigator) and Dr Mary Ikoniadou (Co-Investigator), our team includes:

Dr Stavros Alifragkis and Dr Emilia Athanasiou (Scientific and Artistic Curators, Lead Researchers), Dr Christos Christidis (Special Advisor), Despina Tsilimagkou (Digital Humanities Director), Dr Marina Emmanouil, Dr Metaxia Papageorgiou and Dr Aphrodite Kamara (Researchers). Our work has been generously supported by the Onassis Foundation, the National Bank of Greece and Research England. We are honoured to have the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the Greek Ministry of Tourism as our patrons, and we work closely with Greece’s National Historical Museum.

Our Goal
Our goal is to make Imagining Greece a widely accessible digital exhibition that serves as a valuable resource for schools, universities, tourism professionals, and the public in Greece and beyond. We aim to promote a deeper understanding of tourism as a crucial element of Greek culture, economy, politics, and society. The exhibition is organised around four thematic experiences: Picture, Travel, Discover, and Remember. Each theme presents carefully chosen artefacts in an intuitive, easy-to-explore journey. Visitors will explore a rich collection of promotional materials, including advertising, audio-visual culture, periodicals, commercial and government sources, tourist guides, tourism infrastructure and architecture, cultural artefacts from folklore, feasts and festivals, leisure activities, books about Greece, souvenirs, vacation photographs, and postcards. The entire spectrum of Greece as a tourism destination is accessible through the thematic experiences, the interactive map, or the chronological timeline.

The Future of Imagining Greece
Imagining Greece will continue to grow with new artefacts, and we welcome your contributions. If you have relevant materials to share, please contact us at: info@imagininggreece.com

Legal Notice / Disclaimer
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace and contact the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this digital exhibition, ‘Imagining Greece: How Tourism Shaped a Nation, 1945-1989’, and to obtain their permission for the use of copyrighted material. We apologise for any omissions in acknowledging copyright. If you own the copyright for any material used on our website and believe it infringes upon your rights, please contact us directly at info@imagininggreece.com. Please note that all images and materials remain the property of their respective copyright holders, and may not be reproduced, distributed, or otherwise used without their prior permission.

Acknowledgements
We thank the numerous institutions and private individuals who have contributed their valuable archival materials to this project:

Benaki Museum’s Photographic Archives Department, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, Greek Film Archive, Greek National Tourism Organisation, Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive, Hellenic National AudioVisual Archive - Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, Hellenic Touring Club, Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece – National Historical Museum, Historical Archive of the National Bank of Greece, Constantinos A. Doxiadis Archives, ‘Konstantinos G. Karamanlis’ Foundation, The Library of the Hellenic Parliament, Modern Greek Architecture Archives of the Benaki Museum, National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, Neraida Floating Museum - John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, Olympic Airways Workers Cultural Center, Philatelic Postal Museum, Spyros Vassiliou Archive - Dominum Artifex NPO, The Alpha Bank Art Collection, The Ghika Gallery - Benaki Museum.

Dimitris Antonakakis – Atelier 66, Archimidis & Eleni Athanassiou, Tasos Biris – Tassos Biris Architectural Firm, Vassilis Bogakos, Vassilis Giannakis, Panos Haratzopoulos, Erifyli Hontolidou, Maro Kardamitsi-Adami, Yannis Karlopoulos, Kostas Katsigiannis, Konstantinos Lyssaridis – ETETH SA, Eirini Philippides, Marina Philippides – AMK Architecture + Design, Jenny Perivolari, Christos Rallis & Georgia Sovatzoglou, Vassia Stylianidi – WOBI Architects, Vaggelis Stylianidis - Stylianidis Vaggelis Architects, Nicos Valsamakis – N. Valsamakis Architectural Firm, Ioannis Vikelas – Vikelas Architects.

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Picture
Travel
Discover
Remember

Picture / Periodicals

Architecture Nature Tourism & Touring Press

Displaying 33/33 artefacts

Easter 1951 artifact
Easter 1951
Review
Touristic Giannina: A lyrical guide artifact
Touristic Giannina: A lyrical guide
Study / Publication
1949 Greece must become a tourist centre artifact
1949 Greece must become a tourist centre
Bulletin
Tourist Crete 1963 artifact
Tourist Crete 1963
Review
Xenia Magazine 1967 artifact
Xenia Magazine 1967
Review
Nature-loving Horizons artifact
Nature-loving Horizons
Review
Tourist Buletin of the Tourism Studies Institute 1958 artifact
Tourist Buletin of the Tourism Studies Instit...
Review
Hellenic Touring Club Montlly Buletin 1949 artifact
Hellenic Touring Club Montlly Buletin 1949
Bulletin
Tourism, Hellenic Touring Club Buletin 1950 artifact
Tourism, Hellenic Touring Club Buletin 1950
Bulletin
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1965 artifact
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1965
Magazine
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1963 artifact
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1963
Magazine
Hellenic Touring Club Montlly Buletin 1948 artifact
Hellenic Touring Club Montlly Buletin 1948
Bulletin
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1959 artifact
Hellenic Touring Club Tourism Magazine 1959
Magazine
Tourism in Greece 1962 artifact
Tourism in Greece 1962
Annual Αlmanac
Tourism in Greece 1964 artifact
Tourism in Greece 1964
Annual Αlmanac
Tourism in Greece in the 1970s artifact
Tourism in Greece in the 1970s
Annual Αlmanac
Tourism in Greece in the 1980s artifact
Tourism in Greece in the 1980s
Annual Αlmanac
Tourism in Greece 1969 artifact
Tourism in Greece 1969
Annual Αlmanac
The Voyage in the 1960s artifact
The Voyage in the 1960s
Review
The Voyage in the 1970s artifact
The Voyage in the 1970s
Review
Views of Epirus in the 1960s artifact
Views of Epirus in the 1960s
Magazine
Eos 1947 artifact
Eos 1947
Review
Eos 1961 artifact
Eos 1961
Review
Ariane August 1959 artifact
Ariane August 1959
Review
The Magazine of the Tourist Trade in Greece 1970s artifact
The Magazine of the Tourist Trade in Greece 1...
Review
Philoxenia and Tourism Bulletin 1975 artifact
Philoxenia and Tourism Bulletin 1975
Bulletin
Philoxenia and Tourism Review 1988-89 artifact
Philoxenia and Tourism Review 1988-89
Review
Philoxenia and Tourism Review 1990 artifact
Philoxenia and Tourism Review 1990
Review
Holidays in Greece 1962 artifact
Holidays in Greece 1962
Bulletin
Hellas-Cyprus Tourism, 1970s artifact
Hellas-Cyprus Tourism, 1970s
Review
Tourist Life 1982-1985 artifact
Tourist Life 1982-1985
Magazine
Tourist Life 1986-1990 artifact
Tourist Life 1986-1990
Magazine
For your Trip 1950 artifact
For your Trip 1950
Magazine