Visit Greece @ UTS

Promoting tourism in Greece in this current climate is a must. The nation needs the help of tourists, needs the help of leaders of the community and the help of Greeks of the diaspora to assist a country that is currently going through financial and political hardships.... But in contrast to the current crisis, Greece still maintains all of its glory. It's still a country steeped in history, rich in natural beauty and filled with a people who, whilst hurting, maintain their proud stance. All that will be showcased in the event Visit Greece @ UTS.

New reports are showing that the number of tourists choosing to travel to Greece will decline in 2012. The Visit Greece @ UTS exhibition aims at ensuring the numbers rise again. A collaboration of the UTS, the Greek Press and Communication Office, the Greek Tourism Office and the Education Office of the Embassy of Greece in Australia under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, the exhibition aims to promote cultural and touristic endeavours to Greece.

The event Visit Greece @ UTS, is aimed at students of the university, tomorrow's leaders, as well as friends and family of the students and the community with an interest in Greek culture. Greek businesses in Sydney have also volunteered their time to help this exhibition that will seek to give all involved a taste of Greece. The exhibition, which will take place on Wednesday 23 November, started off as a simple idea by the Greek community spurred on by the consulate, to ensure students understood Hellenic culture at its best. The consulate had engaged with various organizations and institutions to run such an event but it was an ongoing relationship they had with UTS - through internships given to students at the consulate - that allowed this idea to come into fruition.

Nicholas Economidis, Press and Communication Office, Consulate General of Greece in Sydney told Neos Kosmos that the consulate had been speaking with BuILD (Beyond UTS International Leadership Development) for over a year to coordinate an event to promote Greece. "We wanted to organise a small event at first, like a Greek day, in order to showcase Greece and the positive aspects of our country and it's finally happening now," he explains. The university's program BuILD has also come on board to support the exhibition showcasing the best of the Hellenic Republic.

The BuILD program is an international leadership program, open to all students of the university that provides opportunities for the students to develop leadership potential and take part in a range of local and international activities. Fiona Tschaut, who heads the program BuILD, says that Visit Greece @ UTS is a "great opportunity for students to have Greece at the forefront of their minds" and also enable students to make connections and network with people from the Greek community in Sydney.

"Here in Australia we've seen one side, and one view of the crisis," explains Tschaut, "and I think what's important is that the students get a deeper understanding of what's happened and not rely on what they see in the mainstream media." The cultural day will give students another view of Greece, and not just the ones that are thrust upon them through the media. They will be exposed to the culture of Greece through the language, food, art and music, through representatives of the Greek community of Sydney and also Greek businesses.