Tourism in Greece

Greece has given the only bidder in a deal to develop the former Athens airport of Hellinikon a week to improve its offer, the country's privatisations agency HRADF said on Wednesday.

Three times the size of Monaco, Hellenikon, one of Europe's biggest real estate projects, is crucial for the debt-laden country to meet its 2014 privatisations target.

Two children, a girl and a boy, and three women were among seven migrants who drowned off the coast of the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos in the early hours of Tuesday when the plastic boat that was carrying them from Turkey to Greece took on water, the state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency has confirmed.

A moderate quake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale rattled Cephalonia on Tuesday morning as the Ionian Sea island continues efforts to recover from a large tremor in January that caused significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

Six Turkish fighter jets flew over Fournoi islands in the northern Aegean without permission on Friday morning, Greek military authorities said.

The planes entered Greek air space between Samos and Chios at 11 a.m. and exited at 11.29 a.m., according to the National Defense General Staff (GEETHA).

By Stathis Kousounis

The tourism year appears to have got off on the right foot with a healthy increase in arrivals from abroad at the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki leading to a considerable growth in total arrivals in the first month of 2014.

By Stathis Kousounis

The growth in Greek tourism is attracting a succession of major international hotel chains to this country. The latest to take an active interest in Greece is Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which has signed a franchise deal with the owners of the Minos Imperial Beach Resort and Spa in Milatos in Lasithi, eastern Crete.

A NATO helicopter made an emergency landing at Zakynthos airport on Sunday night due to a mechanical problem.

The helicopter, carrying British soldiers, was flying from Italy to NATO’s naval base at Souda Bay, Crete.

None of the passengers was injured.

BELGRADE - The exhibition of photographs from the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum opened in Belgrade's National Museum late on Wednesday in honour of the Greek presidency in the Council of Ministers of the EU.