The digital nomads of Athens become the protagonists of the new «This is Athens» campaign and give their unique view of the city to the whole world. These are the people who, due to their pandemic, work from a distance, chose to live in Athens, as long as these special conditions allow, and testify their testimony to an international audience.
Ο Burak Cakmak, director of the internationally renowned design school «Parsons» in New York and entrepreneur, says he was looking for «a destination to escape from everything» and feels that «discovered the hidden gem of the Mediterranean», where professionals like himself «can have the best work-life balance, at an affordable price, without being deprived of the comforts and rights that Europe offers».
For the last ten years he has been living between London and New York and although, as he says, he loves «the energy of both cities», Athens offered him, apart from the «good climate, good food and hospitality of the people», also «the best combination of natural beauty, young population, pleasant activities, good prices and easy access to most places in the rest of Europe and beyond».
Burak is one of the faces of the campaign, which aims to keep the image and attractiveness of Athens alive as long as the pandemic does not allow for carefree travel and tourism. The campaign was launched in mid-January and has already been viewed by more than 6.3 million users in Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, England and Spain.
The implementing body, «This is Athens» is the main pillar of the Development and Tourism Promotion Company of the Municipality of Athens (EATA) and is the official visitor's guide to Athens. EATA officials say that through the digital nomads, Athens is presented to potential visitors so that, as soon as conditions allow, our city will have a strong lead. In fact, the digital nomads themselves coined the title of the campaign, «even lockdown is nicer in Athens». «I highly recommend everyone to make Athens their base,» says Burak, testifying to his experience in our city.
Safiya Mary Rose is a copywriter from London and came to Athens with her partner at the end of October. «Although we had visited many destinations in France, Italy and Spain, we had never really found “our place”,» says Safiya. «I think Athens is an ideal mix of ancient and modern: it has everything you expect to find in a capital city, plus a lot of art, history and culture. It is an international place, with influences from the East and the West, with a sense of hospitality,» she says, adding that it is a good base for anyone who wants to explore the islands and mainland Greece.
Among her favourite experiences so far are «swimming in “live” water and the fact that it was warm enough to swim in the sea even in January is a huge treat!». In addition, she says she enjoys exploring flavours, either through restaurants or local produce: «the fruits and vegetables here are delicious and it's fun to discover Greek recipes and try them at home».
Digital nomads are sought after by cities around the world, not only because of the obvious economic benefit, but also because of their important role in the dissemination of knowledge and technology, since usually highly skilled workers in competitive fields.
In his message for the campaign, the Mayor of Athens Costas Bakoyannis stresses that «in this way Athens opens a window to the new global context. It is taking its share in a form of tourism that, as it seems, is here to stay. On the one hand, the possibilities of technology, on the other hand, the environment offered by the city puts us on a different trajectory.
Everything that professionals and workers describe about their experience in the capital shows something very important. That in these conditions, we can seek and implement solutions that will prepare us for the next day. Our stake now is to take the right place at the start of a new era., which may bring many changes and problems, but it also shows us a different way to make better use of our strengths and never stand still.
We are doing our best to become even more people who will choose Athens as a reference point for their work from a distance and we open ourselves to the world, not only with what its past and history has to offer, but also for the modern way of life in the city.».
