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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
Private Hotels
Omonia Hotel artifact

Omonia Hotel

Photograph
Minos Beach Hotel artifact

Minos Beach Hotel

Photograph
Hotel Olympia, Finikas, Syros artifact

Hotel Olympia, Finikas, Syros

Brochure
Hotel Delphi in Athens artifact

Hotel Delphi in Athens

Photograph
Print Ad
Mediterranean Palace Hotel artifact

Mediterranean Palace Hotel

Photograph
The Athens Hilton artifact

The Athens Hilton

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Amalia Hotel Athens artifact

Amalia Hotel Athens

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Amalia Hotel Delphi artifact

Amalia Hotel Delphi

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Grand Hotel Astir Palace, Rhodes artifact

Grand Hotel Astir Palace, Rhodes

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
White Rocks Hotel, Cephalonia artifact

White Rocks Hotel, Cephalonia

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Apollon Palace, Kavouri artifact

Apollon Palace, Kavouri

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Hotel Apollo, Aegina artifact

Hotel Apollo, Aegina

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Amalia Hotel Olympia artifact

Amalia Hotel Olympia

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Robinson Daidalos, Kos artifact

Robinson Daidalos, Kos

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Amalia Hotel Meteora artifact

Amalia Hotel Meteora

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Hotel Galaxy, Kavala artifact

Hotel Galaxy, Kavala

Postcard
Poseidon Resort Hotel Loutraki artifact

Poseidon Resort Hotel Loutraki

Postcard
Minos Beach Hotel Bungalows at Agios Nikolaos artifact

Minos Beach Hotel Bungalows at Agios Nikolaos

Postcard
Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
Grande Albergo delle Rose in Rhodes artifact

Grande Albergo delle Rose in Rhodes

Photograph
Moralis' artwork on the Athens Hilton's facades artifact

Moralis' artwork on the Athens Hilton's facad...

Photograph
PM Karamanlis visits the Athens Hilton construction site artifact

PM Karamanlis visits the Athens Hilton constr...

Photograph
Foundation stone-laying ceremony or the Athens Hilton artifact

Foundation stone-laying ceremony or the Athen...

Photograph
Inauguration of the Athens Hilton 1963 artifact

Inauguration of the Athens Hilton 1963

Photograph
Hotel Miramare in Ixia, Rhodes 1958-60 artifact

Hotel Miramare in Ixia, Rhodes 1958-60

Photograph
Postcard
The decay of Thermal Tourism artifact

The decay of Thermal Tourism

Photograph
Thermi Hot Springs artifact

Thermi Hot Springs

Postcard
Vouliagmeni Astir Resort artifact

Vouliagmeni Astir Resort

Photograph
Alexandroupolis Astir Motel artifact

Alexandroupolis Astir Motel

Photograph
Seaside Bungalows at Tosca Beach in Kavala artifact

Seaside Bungalows at Tosca Beach in Kavala

Postcard
Hotel Korkyra, Corfu artifact

Hotel Korkyra, Corfu

Postcard
Hotel Castello at Corfu artifact

Hotel Castello at Corfu

Postcard
Hotel Aigaion at Cape Sounion artifact

Hotel Aigaion at Cape Sounion

Postcard
The Arion Hotel in Xylokastro artifact

The Arion Hotel in Xylokastro

Postcard
The Miramare in Corfu artifact

The Miramare in Corfu

Photograph