Touring across the Acropolis in Athens, one is suitably impressed by the beautiful Parthenon. Equally, one is also impressed by the number of Chinese tourists.

"The temple represents the highest level of Doric architectural style," a guide said in putonghua (Mandarin) to a group of Chinese tourists.

Hot on the heels of the first group, another bevy of Chinese travelers passed and the guide was heard saying: "Many sculptural pieces from the Parthenon are now in the British Museum."

All this signifies that more and more Chinese have an eye on Greece as their next tourist destination after visiting Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The Greek tourist authorities, are fully aware of this, and have started a series of promotional activities in the hope of attracting Chinese tourists.

"Greece is a country which boasts a long history, brilliant civilization and beautiful sea and landscapes," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, Greek Minister of Tourism, in an interview with a group of Chinese journalists last week in Athens.

"We know that many Chinese dream of visiting Greece once in their life time. Taking into account the huge population, 1.3 billion, the number of tourist arrivals from China would be very big. Our market is prepared for the coming of Chinese tourists and we are trying to make sure they feel at home in Greece," the tourism minister said.

But currently Chinese tourists have to make their way to Athens via Bangkok or Frankfurt or other European air traffic hubs, owing to the fact that there are no direct air links between the two countries. This is very inconvenient for the Chinese and, in turn, standing in the way of bringing Chinese tourists to Greece.

"Opening direct flights has been on the agenda for both countries," said Anastasios Liaskos, Greek deputy tourism minister, in another meeting with the Chinese journalists.

He, however, did not give a timetable for the opening of direct flights, hinting that procedural matters will take time.

Direct flights between China and Greece will not only benefit the two countries but also Greece's neighbors such as the countries in the Balkans and Mediterranean regions, with Chinese tourists branching off to these destinations using Greece as a stepping stone, according to Minister Avramopoulos.

Greece is abound in historical sites and relics represented by the Parthenon, golden beaches along the Aegean and Ionian coasts, beautiful seascapes on the Mediterranean, frequent sunshine and other tourist resources.

As a result, Greek travel can be divided into a number of categories such as marine tours, history-orientated tours, conferences in beautiful Greek locations, among others, suggested Deputy Tourism Minister Liaskos.

In answering the question that it is hard for individual Chinese tourists to get Greek visas, Liaskos said that it is a matter of procedure and that EU countries have already held a meeting to discuss the question of simplifying the formality of granting visas to tourists from developing countries such as China.

It was also stated that Chinese tourists find it difficult to move around Greece because many road signs, maps and tourist brochures are in Greek, especially in smaller tourist spots, on which Loutraki and Nafplion, the deputy ministers responded: "This is a matter of market economy. The market would automatically resolve the problem in the face of mounting numbers of tourist arrivals."

"China represents something very important rich cultural heritage, long history and rising power. The Olympics has provided an opportunity for both China and Greece to get together and bring about a bright future," said Minister Avramopoulos.

The Greek Tourism Ministry is encouraging tourist agencies to recruit Chinese personnel, who are able to speak foreign languages, according to the tourism minister.

Revenue generated by tourism makes up 18 percent of Greece's annual GDP and nine percent of the Greek population is engaged in travel-related businesses, according to the tourism minister.

Greece sees 18 million tourist arrivals each year and the figure is expected to rise 10 percent yearly in the immediate future, Avramopoulos said.

The Chinese journalists also met with Fani Pallipetralia, the alternate culture minister of Greece.

The alternate minister said: "We have very good relations with China currently."

"The memorandum for Olympic cooperation signed between the Greek Culture Ministry and its Chinese counterpart is very important. And we have passed on the relay baton to Beijing. We believe that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will turn out an even greater success than the 2004 Athens Olympics," Pallipetralia said.

"Running the Olympics poses a big challenge to Beijing. We are willing to share our experiences in this regard with our Chinese counterparts," she promised.

The Olympics is more than a grand sporting event. It is also a big window through which the spirit of the people of the host country can be demonstrated to the world, the alternate culture minister said.

"The Beijing Olympic Games will help display the grace of the Chinese people," she said.

(China Daily January 21, 2006)