The annual meeting of Visitor International, the International Association of Visitor Information Providers will be held in Athens for the first time.
The AGM-Athens 2019 (Annual General Meeting) will take place from October 15th to 17th at the Electra Metropolis Athens Hotel and it is being organized in the Greek capital upon recommendation by City Contact, the only member of the Union in Greece. The event is organized every year in various American and European cities.
The event offers a unique opportunity to promote Athens, and Greece in general, abroad and constitutes an outstanding step towards global networking among the sector’s professionals.
Representatives of more than 25 member companies of the Association, from different countries around the world, will travel to Athens in order to attend the annual event, accompanied by executives and relatives. The participants and their companions will have the opportunity to tour Athens sights, as well as taste authentic Greek flavors at guided tours and gastronomic events organized by Athens Walking Tours.
Former President of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) Andreas Andreadis is scheduled to attend and address the meeting on Thursday, October 17th.
Survey: In the digital era, print media at hotels ranks first in tourist preferences
Print media is the preferred visitor information resource according to the findings from a survey conducted by Bentley’s Center for Marketing Technology (CMT) and commissioned by Visitor International, the International Association of Visitor Information Providers (https://www.visitorinternational.com)
The research, carried out by Bentley analyzed 891 responses from hospitality professionals at locations in North America – United States, Canada, and Mexico; in Europe – Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Spain; and in Africa – South Africa.
The survey records that hospitality professionals overwhelmingly favor the use of printed media to assist guests in their properties and suggest that their guests frequently use printed brochures in their hotels 88% of the time.
Hotels continue to believe in the value of providing visitor information for their guests by way of a brochure display and 97% of the surveyed properties consider visitor information as very or extremely important for their guests. Overall, hospitality professionals are on the front line of the customer experience for tourists and need the best resources to satisfy guests at their properties.
Τourist information in Greece by City Contact
In Greece, the survey was carried out by City Contact, the only Greek member of Visitor International, the International Association of Visitor Information Providers.
For two decades, City Contact has developed the Info Stand system in order to keep tourists updated through free-of-charge useful leaflets as well as exclusive partnerships with a plethora of hotels and other venues throughout the country’s nine most popular travel destinations.
Every year, more than 3.6 million tourists use the informative City Contact brochures across Greece.
About Visitor International
Visitor International is the International Association of Visitor Information Providers. Its member companies around the world specialize in providing client information to visitors during their stay in their destination, to guide them to wonderful experiences. In this way its member companies:
- Encourage visitors to do, see and enjoy more during their stay at their destination and nearby.
- Drive business to great experiences (where to stay, attractions to visit, activities to enjoy, the best places to eat and shop, and the best transport to get them there).
- Deliver hundreds of millions in revenue to client companies every year.
- Encourage longer stays and repeat visits, by presenting visitors with more opportunities for enjoyment.
- Help ensure that their services also reflect well on the channels they distribute through e.g. lodgings, attractions, and access gateways.
The members of Visitor International share a common interest in the practices, procedures, opportunities and challenges unique to our ‘visitor information’ industry. They are guided by a common code of standards and ethics.
The goal of the Association is to highlight the importance of providing quality visitor information to visitors and to foster the delivery of professional services to clients with Integrity, Quality, and Results.
For more information on Visitor International’s linked members across the world as well as the importance of providing printed information to visitors, please visit www.VisitorInternational.com
