THE theme of this year’s tourism in Greece is diplomacy. For decades now, it cannot be denied that the Greeks and the Turks have nothing in common. Oftentimes, they quarrel for that tiny teeny weenie of an island called Cyprus. A lot of Greeks have already died there as late as the 1990s when they try to overrun the command post of the part of Cyprus controlled by the Turks. But in 2008, it seems that the government of Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is getting to be more diplomatic.

Now the Greek tourism ministry in 2008 is embarking on a huge promotional campaign to market to tourists that a Greek guided travel package would automatically include one going to their key counterparts in Turkey. In fact, the Greek tourism ministry has enlisted the help of United States-based online travel agencies Travelocity and Expedia for this. But they are not stopping there.

Recognizing that an imminent recession will hit the United States before the November elections, the indefatigable Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos is traveling around Europe, Asia, Australasia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America to increase Greek cultural awareness and to entice peoples of other countries to visit his country. Of course, it is so easy for him to advertise Greece because everybody knows that Greece has a rich history. Think of Troy. Think of Alexander the Great. Think of the ancient Olympics. In fact, the current tourism logo of the country is Greece – The True Experience.

Some of the islands in Greece best known for tourists are the northeastern Aegean Islands and the Ionian Islands. In between these islands and in the coastlines of mainland Greece itself such Kefalonia, there are a lot of nudist resorts. In Athens alone, there are a total of five nudist resorts. Most of the investors of these nudist spas are British who have just retired from their lifetime job in the United Kingdom and would like to spend the remaining years on earth in a Greek paradise.

If your passion is into water sports, then you will never have a boring time here in Greece. There is water skiing in Attica, sailing in Athens, windsurfing and diving in more than a dozen places. There are also extensive leases here of yachts, cruises and marinas for your pleasure. You can certainly avail of humongous discounts if you travel with a group of about 50 people. It may be a corporate vacation perhaps or a cruise which doubles as your company’s annual planning workshop. What beautiful way to enjoy that than here in Greece.