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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
Displaying 36 artefacts
Crete
Minos Beach Hotel artifact

Minos Beach Hotel

Photograph
Mallia artifact

Mallia

Postcard
Tourist Crete 1963 artifact

Tourist Crete 1963

Review
Heraklion Xenia Hotel artifact

Heraklion Xenia Hotel

Photograph
Crete 1958 artifact

Crete 1958

Brochure
Crete 1960 artifact

Crete 1960

Brochure
Kreta Griechenland 1960 artifact

Kreta Griechenland 1960

Brochure
Crete Greece 1964 artifact

Crete Greece 1964

Brochure
Kreta Greece 1967 artifact

Kreta Greece 1967
Matala artifact

Matala

Postcard
Minoan goddess terracota figurine artifact

Minoan goddess terracota figurine

Poster
Embroidery from Crete artifact

Embroidery from Crete

Poster
Hand-woven textile from Crete artifact

Hand-woven textile from Crete

Poster
Cretan fringed embroidery artifact

Cretan fringed embroidery

Poster
The Blue Bird Fresco at Knossos artifact

The Blue Bird Fresco at Knossos

Poster
The Grand Staircase at the Palace of Knossos artifact

The Grand Staircase at the Palace of Knossos

Poster
Morning bath at Malia artifact

Morning bath at Malia

Postcard
Lake Voulismeni at Agios Nikolaos artifact

Lake Voulismeni at Agios Nikolaos

Postcard
Minos Beach Hotel Bungalows at Agios Nikolaos artifact

Minos Beach Hotel Bungalows at Agios Nikolaos

Postcard
Phoenix aesthetic forest at Vai, Crete artifact

Phoenix aesthetic forest at Vai, Crete

Postcard
Minoan Snake Goddess artifact

Minoan Snake Goddess

Poster
Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
The Greece the crowds don't know artifact

The Greece the crowds don't know

Print Ad
Stamp proofs for the set Landscapes artifact

Stamp proofs for the set Landscapes

Stamp Proof
First flight Heraklion-Frankfurt artifact

First flight Heraklion-Frankfurt

First flight cancellation
Young girl from Crete spinning wool in the traditional way artifact

Young girl from Crete spinning wool in the tr...

Postcard
Harvester Vase from Agia Triada, Minoan Crete artifact

Harvester Vase from Agia Triada, Minoan Crete

Postcard
Ladies in blue fresco from the Knossos Palace artifact

Ladies in blue fresco from the Knossos Palace...

Postcard
La Parisienne, or the Minoan Lady, artifact

La Parisienne, or the Minoan Lady,

Postcard
The taller Minoan Snake Godess figurine artifact

The taller Minoan Snake Godess figurine

Postcard
Minoan Snake Godesses figurines artifact

Minoan Snake Godesses figurines

Postcard
Minoan rock-crystal rhyton from Zakros artifact

Minoan rock-crystal rhyton from Zakros

Postcard
Queen's Megaron Knossos Palace artifact

Queen's Megaron Knossos Palace

Postcard
The Throne Room from Knossos Palace artifact

The Throne Room from Knossos Palace

Postcard
The Prince of the Lilies fresco at Knossos Palace artifact

The Prince of the Lilies fresco at Knossos Pa...

Postcard