GNTO France: Popular French media in Attica and Lesvos

The promotion of Attica and the Saronic islands to the French public, as an ideal destination for high-end holidays, and of Lesvos as an alternative-gastronomic tourism destination, was the goal of the two familiarization trips organized by the GNTO France Foreign Service and successfully completed in mid-June.

The first trip to Attica was organized on June 19-22, 2025, in collaboration with the most important French airline for our country, Transavia, in the context of promoting Greek destinations and strengthening the new direct Marseille-Athens air connection.

The press trip was attended by three French journalists from Marie Claire and Marie Claire Maison (Sud editions), La Provence Dimanche (Sunday edition of the most popular newspaper of the same name outside Paris,) and COTE Magazine (Marseille-Provence editions).

The mission was attended by the publishing director of Marie Claire and Marie Claire Maison (Sud edition), Mr. Luc Clément, the journalist Mr. Cyril Castelliti, of La Provence Dimanche (Sunday edition of the newspaper La Provence) and the travel editor and editorial coordinator of the luxury magazine COTE Magazine (Marseille-Provence edition), Ms. Laura Puset, accompanied by the head of Public Relations and Communications of Transavia, Mr. Matthieu Degrave.

They visited the historic center of the capital and its emblematic landmarks (sacred rock of the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Zappeion, Panathenaic Stadium), got to know the islands of the Argosaronic Gulf, Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon, the Athenian Riviera, while they took, among other things, a gastronomic tour with a guide in Plaka, Anafiotika and Monastiraki.

The program of visits was organized by the Head of the Greek National Tourist Office Service in France, Ms. Emmy Anagnostopoulou, in coordination with the Greek National Tourist Office central service in Athens and with the significant assistance of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, which facilitated the visits to archaeological sites.

In Lesvos with Dina Nikolaou

The second trip to Lesvos was organized on June 18-21, 2025, in the context of promoting special forms of tourism of strategic priority for the Greek National Tourism Organization, to promote the island in the French market, as an ideal destination for gastronomic and cultural tourism. This press trip was attended by three French journalists from important gastronomy media - specifically Ms. Eve Jusseaume of the bimonthly magazine Marmiton, Mr. Illies Fernandez, of the quarterly magazine Fou de Cuisine, and Mr. Pascal Schultz, of the French travel magazine Escapade Magazine.

The popular Greek chef Dina Nikolaou in France accompanied the journalists and prepared local dishes with authentic products of the island, impressing our guests

The journalistic mission toured the mountainous Agiasos, Gera Bay, Mytilene, visited the Varvagiannis Ouzo Distillery and Museum, the Protoulis olive mills, the ouzo bars in Plomari, the Stamatis Stylianou Traditional Ceramic Art Workshop in Mantamados, the Doukas cheese factory, and the Stratis Eleftheriadis Museum – Library – Teriade of contemporary art.

The three journalists had the opportunity to get to know the gastronomy, the history of the island, the cultural heritage, but also the activities in nature, leaving with the best impressions.

INFO:

Marie Claire and Marie Claire Maison (Sud editions): Extremely popular monthly fashion, lifestyle, travel, and decoration magazines. It is mainly aimed at women (83%) of high socioeconomic and educational level, with high aesthetics. The content of Sud editions is posted on the official website of the French Marie Claire: marieclaire.fr, which receives 9,879,257 visits per month. The print version has over 185,000 readers.

La Provence Dimanche (Sunday edition of the newspaper La Provence): It covers national and regional news from the southern region of France, with a circulation of 87,560 copies and 616,000 visitors to the online version of the newspaper. The readership it addresses is 61% aged 50+ and is of medium and upper socio-economic level.
COTE Magazine (Marseille-Provence edition), a French luxury magazine focusing on travel, catering, hotels, art de vivre, gastronomy and local economy, among others. It has a circulation of 25,000 copies and has 113,561 unique visitors per month in the online version of the magazine, with the majority being over 40 years old, of high income/professional level, 60% women and 40% men. Marmiton, a bimonthly gastronomy magazine (local and international cuisines). It is mainly aimed at women of medium and upper socio-economic levels. It is published in 82,006 copies, having a total of 8,960,000 readers in its printed and online format, 3,700,000 followers on Facebook, and 1,400,000 on Instagram. A six-page culinary tribute to Lesvos is expected in the August 2025 issue.
Fou de Cuisine is a quarterly magazine of contemporary gastronomy (new chefs, trends, reports, products, and gastronomic destinations). Its circulation is 60,000 issues, and the readership is 250,000. It has 312,000 followers on Facebook and 184,000 on Instagram, where daily stories and short films are expected.
Escapade Magazine is a quarterly French travel magazine for lesser-known destinations and special forms of tourism, with a focus on sustainability. It is aimed at highly educated and financially literate readers (GSP+), men, women, 35-55 years old, who are looking for authentic travel experiences. The readership extends beyond France to other French-speaking countries, such as Switzerland and Belgium. It has a circulation of 60,000 issues, while the website receives 50,000 visitors per month. A 2-page tribute and online publication are expected next fall.