Sborník příspěvků XVI. mezinárodní kolokvium o regionálních vědách Valtice 19.–21. 6. 2013
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DOI: 10.5817/CZ.MUNI.P210‐6257‐2013‐80 
ŘECKO JAKO KULTURNÍ DESTINACE
GREECE AS CULTURAL DESTINATION
ING. PATRIK KAJZAR, PH.D.
Katedra cestovního ruchu
Obchodně podnikatelská fakulta v Karviné
Slezská univerzita v Opavě
Department of Travel Movement
School of Business Administration in Karvina
Silesian University in Opava
 Univerzitní nám. 1934/3, 733 40 Karviná, Czech Republic
E-mail: kajzar@opf.slu.cz
Anotace
Cestování se stále více stává neodmyslitelnou součástí našeho života. Na cestovní ruch mají neustálý
vliv změny jednak demografické, tak i ekonomické faktory, stejně tak jako změny v oblasti životního
stylu. Tyto změny v cestovní ruchu potvrzuje i řada výzkumů v mnoha evropských státech, ale i státech
mimo Evropu. V posledních letech dochází ke změně motivů účasti na cestovním ruchu. Turisté začíná
vyhledávat především gastronomii, kulturní a přírodní bohatství. Kulturní zážitky se staly hnacím
motorem pro rozvoj cestovního ruchu v mnoha zemích. Ve svém příspěvku se věnuji zhodnocení
kulturního cestovního ruchu v destinaci Řecka.
Klíčová slova
kulturní cestovní ruch, Řecko, geografie, populace, historie, archeologie, životní styl.
Annotation
Travel is increasingly becoming an essential part of our lives. On the tourism have continuous
influence of both demographic changes, and economic factors as well as changes in lifestyle. These
changes in the travel industry is also confirmed by many studies in many European countries as well
as countries outside Europe. In recent years there has been a change of motives participation in
tourism. Tourists begins search for particular gastronomy, cultural and natural wealth. Cultural
experiences have become a driving force for the development of tourism in many countries. In my
contribution I evaluate cultural tourism destination in Greece.
Key words
cultural tourism, Greece, geography, population, history, archaeology, lifestyle.
JEL classification: L83, N93, N94, R23
Introduction
The aim of this paper is evaluation the cultural tourism in destination Greece. Author using own
experience from traveling around Greece and secondary sources. The basic scientific methods include
methods of analysis, synthesis and method of observation.
The EU tourism industry generates more than 5% of the EU GDP, with about 1,8 million enterprises
employing around 5,2% of the total labour force (approximately 9,7 million jobs). When related
sectors are taken into account, the estimated contribution of tourism to GDP creation is much higher:
tourism indirectly generates more than 10% of the European Union's GDP and provides about 12% of
the labour force. Europe is indeed a key cultural tourism destination, with a large number of major
sites and a strong flow of international and domestic visitors. It is estimated that cultural tourism
accounts for around 40% of all European tourism. Travel and cultural tourism in particular has a vital
role to play in fostering both a greater understanding of the rich diversity of regional cultures of
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Europe and appreciation of our common European heritage and culture [5]. Through increasing a
better understanding between the peoples of Europe cultural tourism can help further European
integration. Furthermore, cultural tourism brings about economic benefits, as is indicated in the
European Commission Communication on Basic Orientations on Sustainable Tourism. It therefore
contributes to the implementation of Lisbon Strategy in respect of economic growth, employment, the
well being of populations, and cultural development [7].
Cultural tourism gives visitors the opportunity to understand and appreciate the Essentials character of
a place and its culture as a whole, including its [19]:
 history and archeology,
 people and their lifestyle (including the ways in which they earn a living and enjoy their
leisure) ,
 cultural diversity , arts and architecture,
 food, wine and other local produce,
 social, economic and political structures,
 landscape.
Culture has long played an important role in the development of tourism in Greece. The
archaeological sites of Greece and their associated museums have always been a major draw for
foreign visitors, and these same resources have played an important role in the national self-image of
Greece. More recently, however, attention has shifted towards broadening the range of cultural
attractions to include aspects of modern Greek culture as well. In the past, culture has been viewed as
an integral part of the Greek tourism product, ether han a specific form of tourism in its own right.
Cultural tourism is now seen as being particularly important in a country whose tourism product has
been largely based on beach holidays - a market which is coming under increasing pressure from
competing destinations in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. Tourism demand is also highly seasonal,
and spatially concentrated. Cultural tourism is therefore seen as one potential vehicle for diversifying
the basic beach holiday product, for spreading the tourism season, and persuading tourists to discover
hitherto unknown areas of Greece. This may explain why the potential for cultural tourism
development is perceived as being greater in Greece than in any other EU country [16].
1. Geography of Greece and population
Greece is a peninsular and mountainous country located in Southern-Eastern Europe, in the Balkans
peninsula. Although the inland is pretty mountainous, the country has the largest coastline in Europe
(13,676km) due to its numerous islands [14]. Greece has totally more than 2,000 Greek islands but
only 168 are inhabited. The country is surrounded by two big seas, the Aegean and the Ionian seas,
which include other smaller seas [17].Greece mainland consists of the following regions: Central
Greece (Sterea), Peloponnese, Thessaly (east central) Epirus (north west), Macedonia (north), Thrace
(north west). Also Greece consists of many islands and island complexes: Crete, Cyclades,
Dodecanese, Ionian, Sporades, Saronic and Eastern Aegean islands. It shows Fig.1.
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ig.1: Map of Greece
Source: [15]
Athens is the capital of Greece. It belongs to the Prefecture of Attica, in the centre of the Greek
territory. The Peloponnese actually looks like an island connected to the mainland with two bridges:
the bridge at the Corinth Canal and the cable bridge of Rio-Antirrio. Peloponnese is located in the
southern part of Greece. The inland is dissected by high mountains that extend southwards towards a
landscape of fertile plains, pine forested uplands and craggy foothills. There are more than 2,000
islands scattered both in the Aegean and the Ionian Seas. The majority is located in the Aegean
between the mainland and Turkey. The largest Greek island is Crete and the second largest is Evia.
Lesvos and Rhodes come next. Greece is a mountainous country. The the highest point is at Mount
Olympus, at an altitude of 2917m. The country is very rich in natural resources providing petroleum,
magnetite, lignite, bauxite, hydropower and marble [11].
The total population in Greece was last recorded at 11.4 million people in 2012 [9]from 8.3 million in
1960, changing 36 percent during the last 50 years. Population in Greece is reported by the World
Bank. Historically, from 1960 until 2012, Greece Population averaged 9.9 Million reaching an all time
high of 11.4 Million in December 2012 and a record low of 8.3 Million in December of 1960. The
population of Greece represents 0.16 percent of the world´s total population which arguably means
that one person in every 617 people on the planet is a resident of Greece [12]. About 98 percent of of
the population is Greek and Orthodox Christians. Minority groups include Turks, Macedonian Slavs,
Albanians, Armenians, Bulgarians, Jews, and Vlachs, a religion that figures prominently in Greece's
culture. Muslims comprise 1.3 percent of the population and the remaining 0.7 percent includes
Catholics, Jews, Old Calendar Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Protestants, and other faiths.
Most Muslims live in Thrace, and they are Greece's only officially recognized minority after receiving
legal status through provisions in the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923. The official language of Greece is
Greek, which is spoken by 99 percent of the population. The Greek language has its basis in classical
Greek and the language of the 21st century is quite similar to that which was spoken during the 5th
century B.C. [16].
2.Greece history and archeology in brief
Greece is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and the cradle of Western culture as we know it.
The first signs of inhabitance were the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean maritime civilisations that
lived and ruled during the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC). However, these collapsed by the 11th century
BC and a 'dark age' followed. By 800 BC, there was a cultural and military revival and city-states like
Athens and Sparta sprang onto the world map. The classical (or golden) age of Greece started soon
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after and gave rise to many of the world’s cultural emblems before ending with the Peloponnesian
Wars (431-404 AD) in which the Athenians were vanquished by the Spartans.
Alexander the Great, who marched into Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia and parts of what are now
Afghanistan and India, ushered in the Macedonian empire. It ruled for three dynasties and is known as
the Hellenistic period. During this time, Greek ideas and culture was amalgamated with other proud
ancient cultures and a new tradition was created.
The powerful Roman empire turned its sights on Greece around 205 BC and over the next few
centuries, the country came under the Romans, the illustrious Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman
Turks (Fig. 2). All these influences combined to create a unique culture. A cultural revival in the late
18th century precipitated the War of Independence in 1821-29 but it was only in 1827, when Russia,
France and Britain intervened that Greece became independent [1].
In April 1827 they elected Ioannis Kapodistrias, a Corfiot who had been the foreign minister of
Russian Tsar Alexander I, as their first president. Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, was chosen as the
capital. Amid the ensuing anarchy, Britain, France and Russia again intervened and declared that
Greece should become a monarchy. They decided that the throne should be given to a non-Greek so as
not to favour one Greek faction, and selected 17-year-old Prince Otto of Bavaria, who arrived in
Nafplio in January 1833. King Otto (as his name became) got up the noses of the Greek people from
the moment he set foot on their land. Otto moved the capital to Athens in 1834. Greece joined NATO
in 1952 and in 1953 the US was granted the right to operate sovereign bases. Intent on maintaining a
right-wing government, the US gave generous aid and even more generous military support. In 2004
Before the staging of the Olympic Games, Greece’s sporting prowess had an unexpected shot in the
arm when, against all odds, it won the European Football Championship (Euro 2004) in Portugal,
giving Greeks the world over an enormous boost of pride. As it happened the August Olympic Games
were, by all accounts, a resounding success and the Greeks put on a well-organised – if poorly
attended – summer spectacle. The years since have been challenging, and Greece in 2012 is in a fight
for its economic future. While Greek spirit - and the value of tourism to its well-being - remains
undimmed, the country's recent economic problems have brought unwanted attention from the world's
media and unwelcome and unwarranted stereotypes. A succession of bail-out packages from European
Union coffers, delivered at a cost of successive governments and huge pressure on the lives of
hardworking everyday Greeks, have kept the country in the Euro. The road to recovery is long, but
Greece has faced great troubles before, and recovered before [10].
Fig.2: Time periods of the Greece
Source: [11]
Five thousand years of history have obviously left a mark on the Greek landscape. Many ancient
Greek monuments, cities, and landmarks have traveled through the eons under the sun and some have
even remained in use (like the Acropolis for instance), while many others fell into obscurity and were
buried under the ground only to be unearthed by archaeologist in the past two hundred years. Such
ancient sites appear today as monuments to the Greek ideas and culture that influenced the subsequent
generations of the western civilization. For those brought up immersed in the western civilization, to
study the ancient Greek monuments is to study one's own heritage and self. List of ancient Greek sites
not to be missed [2]:
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 Acropolis of Athens - More than any other monument, the Acropolis of Athens represents
Classical Greek culture at its zenith. While modern Athens is not on my top list of places to
visit in Greece, a stay of a few days is imperative to experience its ancient monuments and
rich museums.
 Delphi - As a place of influence in ancient east Mediterranean affairs Delphi has no rivals.
The Delphic oracles were received by Persian kings and Athenian leaders and they indirectly
helped shape history as we know it. The landscape is fantastic, the ruins well preserved, and
the site's museum houses some of the most important art works from ancient Greece.
 Olympia - The Olympic games have evolved over the years to become the most spectacular
show business in the world, and they travel every four years from one host country to another,
but in Ancient Greece, all "civilized" cities gathered in ancient Olympia to participate in
athletic competitions and cultural festivals.
 Epidaurus - The vast sanctuary lies about in ruins, but the Epidaurus theater itself is a visual
treat. Perfectly preserved it is still used today for festivals and concerts.
 Phaistos (Crete) - While most travel guides would pick another Minoan palace (Knossos) as
the best destination in Crete, my personal visits to both places have placed Phaistos in a
special place in my heart. Phaistos felt much more genuine of a place, while Knossos --
spectacular as it is-- seemed a bit more contrived. If you do visit Crete, it is possible to visit
both Knossos and Phaistos during one visit to Heraklion.
 Vergina - This unique archeological site / museum is well worth a visit to experience
Macedonian culture. The tomb of Phillip II of Macedon has yielded excellent examples of
artifacts which are exhibited under the Great Tumulus alongside the ancient tombs, etc.
3. People and their lifestyle
The population historically has been mobile. Sailors, shepherds, and merchants traveled as a matter of
occupation, while peasants frequently moved in response to wars, land tenure policies, and
agricultural opportunities. Market towns such as Corinth and Athens have endured for millennia, but
smaller settlements appeared and disappeared with regularity. Over the last century, internal migration
has overwhelmingly been from mountains to plains, inland to coastal areas, and rural to urban
settlements. In this process, hundreds of new villages were founded while others were abandoned, and
some towns and cities grew greatly while others declined [3].
Greeks are passionate people; they love with passion, hate with passion and in most cases at the same
time. Greeks laugh loudly, shout, cry loudly and they are the first to jump in a fight if needed. Greek
people enjoy food and drinking, they cherish their free time; you will see them drinking coffees in
open air cafés all day long. They are the kind of people who make every situation enjoyable, however
different it is from what they are used to. Being open minded and fun loving means they really are
comfortable wherever they go.
Greeks adore music, festivals, celebrations and anything that brings them out of their houses. They
adore their sea and Greek islands and they are passionately in love with their country, although they
do not miss ranting about it. Vacation time, free time and relaxation are absolutely sacred to people of
Greece. Greeks are known for their hospitality and their good manners to foreigners and they are
friendly, easy going and open hearted [18].
Living in satisfactory housing conditions is one of the most important aspects of people’s lives.
Housing is essential to meet basic needs, such as shelter, but it is not just a question of four walls and
a roof. Housing should offer a place to sleep and rest where people feel safe and have privacy and
personal space; somewhere they can raise a family. All of these elements help make a house a home.
The number of rooms in a dwelling, divided by the number of persons living there, indicates whether
residents are living in crowded conditions. Overcrowded housing may have a negative impact on
physical and mental health, relations with others and the development of children. In addition, dense
living conditions are often a sign of inadequate water and sewage supply. In Greece, the average home
contains 1.2 rooms per person, less than the OECD average of 1.6 rooms per person. In terms of basic
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facilities, an estimated 98.6% of people in Greece live in dwellings with private access to indoor
flushing toilets, higher than the OECD average 97.8% [8].
Conclusion
The aim of this paper was evaluate the cultural tourism in destination Greece. In one article do not
pay attention to all areas that are important for cultural tourism of Greece. Greece is a true paradise for
cultural tourism, a large journey into history and art. Educational excursions, theatrical productions,
festivals, pilgrimages, visits to archaeological sites, monuments and museums, excursions to study the
natural environment, folk art and culture – these are just a few of the many things that Greece has to
offer in the cultural tourism sector.
Cultural tourism is essentially that form of tourism that focuses on the culture, and cultural
environments including landscapes pf the destination, the values and lifestyles, heritage, visual and
performing arts, industries, traditions and leisure pursuits of the local population and host community.
It can include attendance at cultural events, visits to museums and heritage places and mixing with
local people. It should not be regarded as a definable niche within the broad range of tourism
activities, but encompasses all experiences absorbed by the visitor to a place that is beyond their own
living environment [4]. Although the rich cultural heritage of Greece is a major draw for tourists, and
an important source of competitive advantage in the battle for tourism market share in the
Mediterranean, cultural tourism as a distinct market segment is still poorly developed. Most tourists
coming to Greece view culture as one part of the total tourism product, rather than a primary
motivation for visiting the country. Cultural tourism is viewed in much the same way by policymakers
in Greece itself, and there has been little effort to develop specific cultural
tourism products [16].
Greek Culture is one of the oldest cultures. It has evolved over thousands of years. It finds its roots in
the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations. The Roman, the Byzantine and the Ottoman empires have
had a major influence on the culture of Greece. Greeks are proud of their culture and look at their
culture as being a representation of their nationality and ethnicity. Their art, religion, dance, music and
the Greek cuisine compose the rich culture of Greece. The Greek diet is characterized by a variety of
foods and wine. When talking about Greek culture, one cannot ignore Olympic Games. The Greeks
started holding athletic contests in honor of their Gods. The ancient Olympics began in 700 B.C. in
honor of Zeus. These games expanded to five days and started including many sports events. The
Greek culture today stands as an example of a beautiful blend of the 'ancient' and the 'modern'. It is
characterized by its diversity. The ancient traditions and the present-day developments make this
culture unique [13].
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