Crete’s brand new tourism campaign is designed to adapt to ever-changing tourism conditions

What makes Crete unique? It’s something more than the beauty, the history, and its people – it is the truth and authenticity that infuses you.

That is the theme of the new ad campaign of the Region of Crete – authenticity, which you feel by gazing while standing on Psiloritis mountain. You hear it when the Cretan lyra is playing; you taste it in the Cretan olive oil on hand-made bread; you feel it in the warm sand; you smell it in the blooming flowers. But above all, you experience it in the unique hospitality of the island, which gave birth to Zeus as its protector.

The central idea of the new campaign highlights the uniqueness that Crete offers to its visitor as a destination. It focuses on authenticity, but also on the richness of experiences, which extend to all four seasons of the year, always with the same differentiating characteristic: Authenticity.

Through the central message ‘Sense the Authentic’, a campaign is being built that invites the potential visitor to discover everything that comprises the unique tourism experience of Crete. It encourages the visitor to feel the island with all his senses  and to experience the hospitality as offered by the residents and the professionals of tourism, through the passion and love for their work, but also through their embedded moral obligation to offer the ‘best’ and, most importantly, the ‘authentic’. With more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, rich history, aromas, and flavors that fascinate, Crete, the birthplace of Europe's oldest civilization, welcomes its visitors with optimism and continues to offer, especially in this unprecedented time, authentic relations with the visitors, based on mutual responsibility.

"Holidays in Crete are authentic!" as the Regional Governor of Crete, Stavros Arnaoutakis, points out. “Holidays are the dream that young children capture in their paintings, fun time for the young people, an opportunity to relax for the older ones. Holidays in Crete are authentic! The people, their smiles, the unique flavors, the cultural monuments, the nature, all compose an authentic landscape from one end of Crete to the other. The ‘island of hospitality’ invites you and waits for you to live the dream and enjoy this unique place. Crete is here and promises to offer visitors powerful experiences that awaken all of the senses."

NEW VIDEOS

Two new videos were produced by Indigo View in collaboration with Choose Strategic Communications Partner, directed by the award-winning Cretan director Theodore Papadoulakis.

‘Crete- Sense the Authentic Taste’: https://www.facebook.com/CreteRegion/videos/259343155322268/

‘Crete – Sense the Authentic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkc-02Tw-M&list=PL-XhMPcWDI3k59PFfweU1VfMie9ez3RF0&index=2

ROAD MAP

The campaign, which has begun in Greece and will also be presented in the near future abroad, is structured around the authenticity of Crete and includes 10 brand new thematic videos and four radio ads in five languages, new high quality and aesthetic photographic material, participation in exhibitions as long as the conditions allow it in the main tourist markets of Crete, familiarization trips of journalists and bloggers, hosting tour operators, activities to attract film producers, events on Crete and abroad, a social media campaign, printed and electronic material, as well as targeted tourism surveys.

The tourism campaign of the Region of Crete is especially designed to be up-to-date and dynamic and to adapt to the needs of Crete and the ever-changing tourism conditions. It is an integral part of Region of Crete’s tourism strategy, which aims to highlight the comparative advantages of the destination and the global empowerment of the brand name CRETE.

WINDOW TO THE WORLD

At the same time, in the near future, the content of the tourist portal of the Region of Crete will be enriched at www.incrediblecrete.gr, which has been translated into five languages. With the integration of new topics, the creation of an online game for children about the history of the island, and with the digital upgrade of the portal, they are opening a window to the world. At the same time, they are upgrading the pioneering Intelligence Interactive Systems that have been installed, in collaboration with the Institute of Technology and Research, at the island’s arrival points (Heraklion Airport, Heraklion, and Souda Port, Chania Central Market, and Chania Port). With these innovative applications, visitors can get an overall picture of Crete from their first moments on the island.