{"id":33937,"date":"2026-11-03T03:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T01:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/?p=33937"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T09:36:19","slug":"greetings-from-v-i-greeks-haris-doukas-mayor-of-athens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/greetings-from-v-i-greeks-haris-doukas-mayor-of-athens\/","title":{"rendered":"GREETINGS FROM V.I.GREEKS: Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Haris Doukas |<\/strong> Mayor of Athens<\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Readers,<\/p>\n

I warmly welcome you to GRtraveller\u2019s special edition for World Travel Market London 2026 and invite you to discover an Athens whose next chapter is taking shape in its streets and neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

Walking through Athens is a journey through time. Ancient stone, Byzantine churches, neoclassical houses and contemporary art share the same urban landscape. Beneath the Acropolis, centuries of history open onto a city alive with conversation, music and the unexpected discoveries of everyday life.<\/p>\n

Its neighbourhoods give this journey its colour. Plaka carries the intimacy of old Athens. Kypseli brings together cultures and flavours from across the world. Pangrati has the energy of a place where artists, students and neighbours meet, while Psyrri\u2019s workshops connect generations of craftsmanship with new creativity. Their stories intertwine, giving Athens a richness that rewards every return.<\/p>\n

Our ambition is to ensure that the city\u2019s next chapter is worthy of this extraordinary inheritance and of the people who keep it alive. We want children to grow up with more shade, residents to enjoy welcoming public spaces, and visitors to discover neighbourhoods that retain their character. The Athens of tomorrow must offer more possibilities to everyone who lives here.<\/p>\n

We are giving this ambition practical foundations. In 2025, Athens received the EU Cities Mission Label for its climate plan. Across Athens, we have already planted around 14,000 new trees, with a goal of planting 5,000 every year, creating more shade and helping our neighbourhoods adapt to a warmer future.<\/p>\n

At Votanikos, we are advancing the Double Regeneration project, which will transform a long-neglected part of the city through new sports facilities and a park approximately one and a half times the size of the National Garden. Together, these changes are shaping an Athens with more space to breathe, to meet and to enjoy life.<\/p>\n

Our collaboration with the Onassis Foundation has brought new lighting and improvements to Dionysiou Areopagitou, renewing the experience of one of the city\u2019s most treasured walks.<\/p>\n

Athens is also strengthening its role as an international meeting place. Through This is Athens, we connect local businesses with global travel markets. These relationships help us shape tourism that creates lasting value for the city and its people.<\/p>\n

For me, leadership means having the confidence to imagine a better city and the determination to build it through cooperation. Athens has much to contribute to the global conversation about how cities can flourish while protecting what makes them unique.<\/p>\n

I invite you to walk its neighbourhoods, meet its people and discover a capital writing its future with the world.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Haris Doukas | Mayor of Athens \u00a0 Dear Readers, I warmly welcome you to GRtraveller\u2019s special edition for World Travel Market London 2026 and invite you to discover an Athens whose next chapter is taking shape in its streets and neighbourhoods. Walking through Athens is a journey through time. Ancient stone, Byzantine churches, neoclassical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,120,129,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epikairotita-en","category-ellada-en","category-taxidia-en","category-proorismi-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33937"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34379,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33937\/revisions\/34379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}