For most Greek Americans, love of country and its people always trumps any negative impressions of Greece in the media. Yet as the largest segment of American tourism to Greece, they’re not only informal tourism ambassadors but also a gauge of the year’s influx of visitors from North America. And it seems that this year, many Greek Americans are planning their holidays in Greece as usual.

Long before Greece became a tourist destination, Greek Americans packed enormous trunk-like suitcases, tied them securely with rope, and headed for the horio (village) in the summer to renew ties and shower relatives with gifts. Today, the cousin no longer packs a short-wave radio as a gift, but Greece remains a lure and love of country trumps negative images on the news. Indeed, this summer Greek Americans could be traveling to Greece in record numbers to reinforce the mystic bond with Hellas; in March, Delta Airline had already sold out tickets bought with travel “points”.
Tourism is Greece’s main industry–and Greek Americans account for the largest segment of summer tourism, according to Chryssanthos Petsilas, head of the Greek National Tourism Organization in the U.S. “In the summer, between 150,000 and 250,000 Greek Americans visit Greece. Greek Americans are our heart and our spine!” According to Petsilas, this year Greece has made a huge effort to reach out to Greek Americans, sending out crews to talk to visitors and creating a promotional campaign, “You in Greece”. Greece has tried to lower hotel prices and created themed tours that address specific interests like wineries, cuisines, monasteries, or eco-tourism. A special effort has also been made to communicate with Greek Americans through the community organizations like the church as well as the media and internet.
Petsilas points to three interesting trends in Greek-American tourism this year. The first is led by the jet set, which is rediscovering Greece and buying up property or building homes on small, undeveloped islands like Antiparos. The second is the mass arrival of Greek American Jews seeking to explore their roots on the Jewish Heritage Tour. The third is the new dynamic brought to Greek tourism by a new surge of third-generation Greek Americans, mostly young urban professionals, seeking to embrace their Hellenism.
 “Their fathers and grandfathers worked hard to realize the Greek dream, educating their children. This third generation of Greek American children is well-educated, and they speak a lot about the country and their positive experiences. They come to Greece, and they bring their friends. They are doctors and lawyers, in the media, in a high level of business. They are our ambassadors,” says Petsilas.
At an American Hellenic Institute networking party, hosted by Col. Andonious Neroulias at Manhattan’s Avra restaurant, several young Greek Americans are eager to share their views on summer in Greece.
“I go to Livadi in the southern Peloponnesus for three weeks. What’s the draw? The beauty, friends, and family. My village is great. A lot of people work in Athens and come back in the summer. It’s gorgeous. It’s also expensive. Why should a Greek village be more expensive than New York City?” wonders Mike Banagos, a commercial mortgage manager.
Family and the Greek lifestyle are also the draw for Kalliope Constantaras, a twenty-nine-year-old teacher and poet. She plans to summer on the island of Leros. “Fires and strikes don’t get in the way. I go by myself and meet up with parents, relatives, friends. I swim, sail, write, talk to people, and drink a lot of ouzo. Greece renews me. It’s the place where I feel whole.”
Dean Polites, also twenty-nine, is a wealth manager; he will visit a friend in Kyparissia. Single, Polites plans to “enjoy the beach, practice my Greek, and after that I want to party. I have no qualms about the economy. I’m bringing my money and I’m spending it. I’m helping. Along with the Greek language, I’m learning Greek dances. I definitely have a Greek soul.”
Alexander Elios, who has a mixed Greek and Italian background, and his mixed Greek and Mexican wife, plan to spend their honeymoon in Greece. “Culturally, I have an issue with people who look at me as an American,” he confides. “They used to talk about Iraq and grill me. But there’s no place like Greece to enjoy the sun and the water. I’m looking forward to seeing my family, eating a lot, relaxing, and swimming. I’m not a party animal, but I like to go to lounges and drink in moderation. I’m getting married in July and will probably do another ceremony in Greece.”
For many Greek Americans, summer holidays in Greece are integral to their lives. George Marinos, a food designer for Kraft Foods, will return to his village of Stafidocampos, near Pyrgos in the Peloponnese,  delights in seeing his children “socialize, experience the outdoor life, and bond with their cousins. When I go back, I take long walks and go to the places where I used to go with my father and brother. This is precious to me and as the years pass becomes more powerful. As a child, when you experience something, it’s very special because it’s for the first time. There’s the excitement, and the emotions. As you grow up, your life becomes more complicated and you always refer to that time when your senses were strong, and there’s no end to the world, and you’re very optimistic.”
Patras-born Marina Chassapis, a consultant on business strategies and planning, has lived most of her life in the United States. She met her husband Costas, now a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology and director at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, on their first day at City College. For the Chassapis family, visiting the island of Lemnos has become a vital annual tradition. They stay with Costas’s mother in Myrina, the island’s capital, which is noted for its Venetian castle, cobbled streets and authentic, non-touristy atmosphere.
“We go back every summer because it’s our roots. And for my son, Gregory, his tie with his grandmother is important. My son considers himself a Greek born abroad! It’s a great way for him to live in Greece as a Greek. He has friends, a whole crowd of young people he hangs out with. The Greek culture is a very, very important part of my son’s life. We’re not giving him a trust fund, but we hope we will have left him with a legacy of the Greek culture,” Chassapis says.  “For my husband, it’s the only place where he can completely unwind. Many of his friends have become my friends. The people he went to high school with are all over the world, but many return in the summer. There are parties and reunions, along with trips to the beautiful beaches of Lemnos. I find a lot of improvement as the years go by. I think there’s more wisdom. I think the people are well-read, maybe too well-read. It’s hard to keep up. They know a lot more about current events than your average American. They know all about film and art.”
John Rellas is a retired judge from Baltimore and Naples, Florida. He and his wife Faye, a retired teacher, are two gregarious, engaging personalities and  first-generation Greek Americans. They visit Greece frequently and for long periods. They manifest great love of the country and its people along with a critical sensibility honed on their many visits.
“We’ve made a number of trips to Greece, which we love very much, but it has a number of faults which should be corrected,” says Relias. “Number one: when we go to restaurants, they don’t give us a menu, nor do they present an itemized bill. Last summer they gave my cousin the check. When he asked the manager why they were charging double, the manager said he ‘thought the Amerikanos would pay’.”
He finds Greeks’ lack of respect for the queue disturbing. “We were on a trip and going through a cafeteria line. People kept pushing in front of us. I said, ‘For God’s sake, there’s food enough here for everyone.’ I once commented that perhaps schools should stop teaching about Aristotle, Pericles, and Socrates, and start teaching kids how to be polite.”
Says Faye Relias: “These things happen and mainly because they know you’re an American. Maybe it’s our clothing. But they have made a lot of money on the American tourists. They should take better care of them, because a lot of them don’t want to come back, the way they’re treated. And that’s important.”
The energetic Rellases have traveled all over Greece, explored its monasteries as well as its beaches. Inveterate golfers, they appreciate the new courses being built. “It’s a universal game, and a good senior sport.” Their great joy continues to be sharing time with family. Says John: “We have very wonderful relatives. First cousins. They can’t do enough for you. When we go to their homes, I can relax. I feel good. I feel like I’m one of them. I don’t have to worry about anything.”
Bob Shaw, president of Inkwell Solutions, a printing company in Manhattan, will be visiting Greece with his wife Emilie, daughter Nicolette, a student at Columbia University, and young son, Harry. Shaw’s mother is Greek, and his wife’s “all Greek”. For Shaw, a big part of the trip is meeting or traveling with friends and family. The Shaws travel north to the mountains, to Mykonos, and to Athens. Regardless, a trip to Greece always begins and ends at the Athens Hilton.
 “We like where it’s located. The breakfast is wonderful. You have the beautiful outdoor pool, the biggest outdoor pool in Athens. We like the location. We like to walk to Kolonaki. You’re away from the craziness of Syntagma Square. I would never go to Greece and not stay at the Hilton. Flying in, I look forward to staying there. It’s a luxurious hotel, and they treat you very well. It’s not that expensive. There are some very good deals. We like to relax. We stay there for two or three days. We don’t want to start rushing on the road. We’re on vacation.”
After Athens, the Shaws will take a high-speed ferry to Mykonos, rent a car, and find their favorite locations out of town. “We stay at a pension in Tourlos, the Makis, that I discovered before I was married. It’s pretty. We can watch the boats coming in the morning. And there’s a great beach.” He also recommends Fokos, and Ftelia “where there’s a great restaurant”. Wherever they travel in Greece, Shaw and his wife consult with the locals. “They know where to go, where to eat. You have to tap into that to get the real experience. You need to talk to the people.”
As to what he likes about Greece: “I respond to the sheer beauty of the country, the visual experience. The contrast. The green mountains with their Swiss-like villages, and the blue and white islands. The big highlight is our friends and relatives. The parea (group) you’re involved with. The people who share your travels with you. That’s the real Greek experience. The people. They are Greece.”