ATHENS – With a raft of films and TV series – like Glass Onion and Jack Ryan – showing off Greece, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME) agreed to work together to lure more of them.

GNTO President Angela Gerekou and ΕΚΟΜE President and CEO Panos Kouanis signed a deal to implement joint promotional initiatives, showcasing Greece’s tourism options.

It would also feature locally-produced audio-visual projects to targeted markets and exhibitions and develop a marketing plan to push the country as a destination for filmmaking and TV shows, said GTP Headlines.

Gerekou said it would benefit tourism that in 2022 came back during the waning COVID-19 pandemic in near record numbers and foreign visitors enticed when they see the country on the screen.

She said it would also promote culture and domestic audiovisual productions, adding that “cinema and especially international productions can be a dynamic tool to showcase Greece,” the site said.

“Joining of forces and the exchange of know-how will give further momentum brand name Greece, promoting the Greek tourism product to the top positions internationally through the audio-visual production process as well,” said Kouanis.

In December, 2002 EKOME teamed up with state-run investment and trade promotion agency Enterprise Greece to also attract even more investments in audiovisual and film projects.

The new agreement comes three years after the Greek government increased a cash rebate for film productions made in Greece from 35 percent to 40 percent to get more movies and TV shows shot after years of pushing them away.

Since then, dozens of international films have been shot in Greece, establishing the country as a leading filming destination being advertised in media for for the industry, the report noted.