The new online experience is available via athens.withgoogle.com
Today, the Ministry of Tourism, the City of Athens and Google announced the “Athens. The City is the Museum” project, a joint effort to highlight the particular and unexplored corners of Athens and make the City an all-year-round tourist destination. This new initiative was introduced to encourage travellers and residents of Athens to discover the City on foot and explore its unique treasures, such as street art, diverse culinary experiences, music, architecture and many of its least-known neighbourhoods through authentic human stories.
All of the above is possible through a new online experience that users can find at athens.withgoogle.com. How it works: Once users select one of the recommended routes in the app, a map appears on their screen. The map depicts a walk with pins, which correspond to suggested stops and these, in turn, to sound content. In addition, a dotted line, like in Google Maps, will guide users from one point to the next, allowing them to select any stop along the route, thus automatically redirecting them to access the point of their interest.
This new cooperation aims to enhance further the collective effort of the Greek Government, the Ministry of Tourism and the City of Athens to promote a new and sustainable tourism development model, based on which Athens will become an attractive destination all year round. In that way, the country’s capital is re-introduced as a “lively” city which, with its rich historical and contemporary cultural identity, is itself a museum.
The Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, stated: “Today’s announcement is the result of the strategic partnership we have started with Google for sustainable tourism since April 2022. This collaboration was initiated by tourism professionals whose sustainable practices training is underway, with over 2000 hoteliers having passed the relevant Google and GSTC training and over 500 hotels already displaying their sustainability certification at Google. Today we take it a step further with an innovative initiative that re-introduces Athens to visitors who want to experience the city’s rhythm and discover less-known corners in a modern and creative way. A way which also contributes to a non-conventional acquaintance with the place, its history and its inhabitants. We are thrilled that through such partnerships, we improve and upgrade the tourist options offered, remaining faithful to our strategy for sustainable tourism development.”
The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, pointed out: “Athens is not only its impressive antiquities and its exquisite museums. The entire city is a unique, living, open, interactive, huge museum that offers hundreds of “display cases”, “exhibits” and experiences to its visitors throughout the year. ThisisAthens, the city’s official guide, brings together all the “tools” that help visitors and all of us to see, taste, experience the city through unique, authentic and meaningful experiences. With this joint effort – and I thank them for their cooperation – with the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias and Google Greece – we help visitors in new, innovative ways to approach the uniqueness of Athens. We reintroduce Athens as an amazing urban destination with a great history and a modern one that offers exceptional experiences to its residents and visitors. A City worth visiting all year round!”
Google’s Regional General Manager for Southeast Europe, Peggy Antonakou, stated: “Athens is a city that offers experiences and emotions and welcomes everybody to discover it. Its aura, vibrant market, and wonderful food in every neighbourhood are just some elements that make it a living museum that coexists with its famous historical heritage. With today’s initiative, all visitors and residents will be able to discover different aspects of Athens daily, thanks to technology. Remaining faithful to Google’s commitment to supporting sustainable development in Greece, we hope to contribute to the joint effort of the Ministry of Tourism and the City of Athens to make Athens an all-year-round destination.”
The executive creative director at Google Creative Lab in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Steve Vranakis, noted: “Athens. The city is the museum” is the creative result of our joint effort to approach Athens from a different angle: a modern and constantly evolving city, with unique, unexplored aspects and with the authentic stories of its inhabitants, unfolding via this new online experience. The sound walks we have designed invite visitors to get to know Athens in-depth, giving them more reasons to visit it throughout the year, creating unprecedented memories every time.”
During the presentation of “Athens. The city is the museum”, the campaign’s official video was presented (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3bvG0Xp7Ec), along with the first suggested route around the bustling neighbourhoods of Metaxourgeio, Kerameikos, Psirri and Omonoia. During this walking tour, visitors and residents can listen to unique stories, interviews and audio material, including flashbacks at every suggested stop.
The video of the new initiative for Athens and the sound walks in the city are available via athens.withgoogle.com.