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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

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 46 artefacts
Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive
Dodona Festival 1964 artifact

Dodona Festival 1964

Festival Program
Edessa Xenia Hotel artifact

Edessa Xenia Hotel

Photograph
Paliouri Xenia Motel artifact

Paliouri Xenia Motel

Photograph
Ouranoupolis Xenia Motel artifact

Ouranoupolis Xenia Motel

Photograph
Omonia Hotel artifact

Omonia Hotel

Photograph
Minos Beach Hotel artifact

Minos Beach Hotel

Photograph
The Village Hotel: Gkoura, Corinthia artifact

The Village Hotel: Gkoura, Corinthia

Brochure
The Village Hotel: Skopelos Island artifact

The Village Hotel: Skopelos Island

Brochure
The Village Hotel: Mt. Pelion artifact

The Village Hotel: Mt. Pelion

Brochure
The Village Hotel: Polydendro, Imathia artifact

The Village Hotel: Polydendro, Imathia

Brochure
The Village Hotel: Kastania - Georgianoi - Rodochori, Imathia artifact

The Village Hotel: Kastania - Georgianoi - Ro...

Brochure
Dodona Festival 1965 artifact

Dodona Festival 1965

Festival Program
Dodona Festival 1966 artifact

Dodona Festival 1966

Festival Program
Dodona Festival 1972 artifact

Dodona Festival 1972

Festival Program
Dodona Festival 1973 artifact

Dodona Festival 1973

Festival Program
Dodona Festival 1977 artifact

Dodona Festival 1977

Festival Program
Sunbaithing in Minos Beach artifact

Sunbaithing in Minos Beach

Photograph
Heraklion Xenia Hotel artifact

Heraklion Xenia Hotel

Photograph
Mediterranean Palace Hotel artifact

Mediterranean Palace Hotel

Photograph
Hotel du Lac Xenia in Kastoria artifact

Hotel du Lac Xenia in Kastoria

Photograph
Tourist Buletin of the Tourism Studies Institute 1958 artifact

Tourist Buletin of the Tourism Studies Instit...

Review
Greek pavilion in Fiera di Palermo 1954 artifact

Greek pavilion in Fiera di Palermo 1954

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
Greek pavilion in Paris Fair 1953 artifact

Greek pavilion in Paris Fair 1953

Photograph
Architectural Drawing
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
Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Creta Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos artifact

Silva Maris Hotel Hersonissos

Pamphlet
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
Antiparos 1962 Guide artifact

Antiparos 1962 Guide

Book
Holidays in Greece 1962 artifact

Holidays in Greece 1962

Bulletin
Gortynia Peloponnese 1957 Guide artifact

Gortynia Peloponnese 1957 Guide

Book
Hellas-Cyprus Tourism, 1970s artifact

Hellas-Cyprus Tourism, 1970s

Review
Chalkida of Today 1953 artifact

Chalkida of Today 1953

Book
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