The American College of Greece (ACG) is pleased to announce a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), signed by GNTO’s Secretary General, Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, and ACG’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor Panos Vlachopoulos. The signing ceremony took place at ACG, attended by faculty members, ACG administration, and GNTO executives.
This partnership focuses on utilizing part of GNTO’s archives in the research project “Digital Exhibition: Tourism and Nation Branding, 1945-1990,” supported by Research England. The creation of the digital exhibition will serve as a resource for students, researchers, and professionals, offering unprecedented access to archival documents such as press articles, advertising entries, public records, and oral testimonies.
The project is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team at ACG, specializing in history, visual culture, design studies, cultural heritage, and digital humanities. The project leader is Dr. Eirini Karamouzi, Associate Professor of Modern History at ACG/University of Sheffield, with team members including Dr. Mary Ikoniadou, Dr. Christos Christidis, Dr. Marina Emmanuel, Dr. Metaxia Papageorgiou, Dr. Aphrodite Kamara, Dr. Stavros Alifrangis, Dr. Emilia Athanasiou, and Despoina Tsilimagkou.
The project aims to catalog part of GNTO’s archive, study its significance in the history of Greek tourism, and develop a study entitled “The Politics of Touristic Promotion: GNTO and the Branding of the Greek Nation in a Historical Context.”
Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, Secretary General of the GNTO, stated, “GNTO has played a leading role over the years in shaping, developing, and promoting the ‘Greece’ brand. It’s a priority for us to showcase to the public our contributions to the history of Greek tourism and nation branding through our rich archives. Our collaboration with the American College of Greece marks a decisive step in recording, preserving, and utilizing historical documents that highlight the dynamics of our tourism over the past 80 years. I want to thank ACG’s administration, Research England, and Dr. Karamouzi along with her team for their trust and excellent collaboration.”
Professor Panos Vlachopoulos, Vice President of Academic Affairs at ACG, commented, “The American College of Greece, the oldest college in Europe with American accreditation, is proud to announce this historic collaboration with the GNTO. As we approach a century of presence in Greece, during which we have nurtured the spirit and ethos of generations, it is our honor to give back to the country that fostered our development and to contribute to the preservation and understanding of its rich cultural heritage. This partnership demonstrates ACG’s unwavering commitment to our motto: ‘To serve, not to be served.'”
“This collaboration is expected to unlock a treasure trove of historical sources invaluable to researchers, students, and professionals, providing data that will shape the future while honoring the past. We express our deep gratitude to the GNTO for their trust in this endeavor and to Research England for their generous support, and of course, to our Professor Eirini Karamouzi, the head of this academic and research project, and her team.”
