ATHENS – The number of visitors to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) continues to rise and reached a total of 6.3 million in 2019, three years after its handover to the Greek state. The SNFCC received 5.3 million visits in 2018 and 3.1 million in 2017.

The initial plans drawn up by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation prior to its delivery envisaged some 700,000 visits a year.

“The continuous increase in the number of visitors for the third sucessive year proves that the visits are not simply due to the attraction exerted by Renzo Piano’s elegant architectural design or to some fad but to a solid relationship that has been built with the public,” a Stavros Niarchos Foundation announcement said on Wednesday.

Additionally, a survey showed that tourists in Athens consider the SNFCC a key cultural destination with very high ratings in terms of the overall satisfaction of foreign visitors.

The managing director of the centre, Nikos Manolopoulos, stated: “These developments, combined with the SNFCC’s performance in the other key operational sectors, fully confirm, with tangible, measurable results, its widespread image as a major sucess story of the last decade in Greece. The SNFCC is considered by the public as a new model for an open, free public space without obstacles to access of any kind, where everyone is and feels welcome, but also a key destination for recreation, learning and sports as well as a top cultural and green space in Athens.”