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Mrs. Lila Konstantinidis, the owner of hotel Heliotopos, receiving one of the two Philoxenia Tourism Awards.
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The Cyclades make their mark with Santorini collecting a total of three awards at this year's Philoxenia Tourism Awards which were presented within the framework of the 22nd International Tourism Exhibition Philoxenia that took place last week in Thessaloniki.
As expected, Santorini won the award for the most romantic destination in Greece whilst Hotel Heliotopos in Imerovigli came first both in the category for the best hotel breakfast and for the most romantic hotel. Icons, also in Imerovigli, was among the remaining four hotels that followed in the group of five most romantic hotels.
However, the success of the Cyclades did not end with Santorini. As was also expected, Mykonos was awarded the best entertainment destination in Greece and the Cyclades in their entirety reached the list of the five most loved sea-side destinations and most friendly destinations for families and children, finishing off their success.
The vote
The Philoxenia Tourism Awards were organised for the first time this year by Helexpo. The public vote for the best in Greek tourism took place via an open public ballot and those who took part placed their votes by selecting their preferences on the Philoxenia website or by filling in a ballot paper published by selected media.
Concerning the theory behind the awards Mr Aristotelis Thomopoulos, president of Helexpo, stated that: "We want to award the best and to play a part in the creation of a sense of competition that will result in better tourism services for Greek and foreign tourists. It is important that we give public certification to all those who work hard towards quality tourism. As the country's top tourism exhibition it is our duty, by means of our own initiatives, to contribute to the upgrading of the quality and competitiveness of Greek tourism".
The awards were given during the official inauguration ceremony of Philoxenia at the Vellidis Conference Centre where the Minister of Tourism Development, Mrs Fanny Palli-Petralia, members of parliament, and representatives from many regional and municipal businesses in the tourism sector were present.
