P.M. Communications: To begin with we wanted to talk about how, using the Olympic Games as a catalyst, Athens has been transformed. Could you share with the readers of The Telegraph, exactly how much Athens has been changed in the last few years?

Mr. Alex Galinos: The feel of Athens today is of a new Athens, a new city. That was part of the motivation for holding the Olympics, and it was also the vision of the outgoing Mayor Dora Bakoyiannis and her Cabinet. The infrastructure has really changed and Athens is a much more user-friendly city both for its visitors and its citizens. It's much easier to get around thanks to its new metro system, tram and new ring roads and highways, surrounding the city. There is also the new suburban line that connects the suburbs to the city centre. Elsewhere, new streets have been paved, with special access to for people with walking disabilities, new street lighting has been put in place and there has been special emphasis on giving more colour to the city. We carried out the Building Facades Programme during which we renovated approximately 3000 new building facades. It was a huge success and is now being taught as a case study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, whilst the scheme is rolled out nation-wide. There has been a tremendous improvement in our hotels. All of the hotels were refurbished and many new hotels were essentially rebuilt from scratch. Many museums were also completely refurbished. We also invested a lot in cleaning the city, which during the Olympics was spotless. Today, Athens is cleaner, more accessible and we really feel that the city is a much more pleasant place to live and visit than it was 3 or 4 years ago.

We do still need to work on the issue of parking, and in this direction we are putting together a new parking system which will at last bring some order to Athens' parking problems and those parking in the city centre will either have to adhere to the parking regulations and pay the regular fee that they are going to enforce or there will be towing and fees and fines. That is one major thing that we hope to take care of in the near future.

P.M. Communications: Part of your job here at the Athens Tourism & Economic Development Agency is to promote the city. Internationally, there is still a lingering misconception that Athens is a chaotic and polluted city. What are the main challenges and the main misconceptions that you run into in your position here?

Mr. Alex Galinos: There is something of a time lag in perceptions. One of the things that we were aware of when we were putting together this agency was the lack of information available for those interested in visiting Athens. So our emphasis has been to provide an accurate and full picture of what modern Athens is focussed on what Athens has to offer. In that direction, we have published a number of publications. The one we are most proud of is, "Strolling through Athens", which essentially breaks it down into 12 routes and talks about its history, its architecture, its people, its culture and the different periods the city has gone through from ancient times to the modern day as it takes you through those routes. We provide people with what they need to know, focusing on what may interest them and not necessarily on things that they already know about. We also place a lot of emphasis on research in order to get a better understanding of how people perceive Athens. We did a sampling survey in London this past October to get a feel of how our most important incoming market perceives us and, in large part, we got the feedback that we expected. People find Athenians friendly, they love the climate, they love its culture and lifestyle and its history, but they feel that it needs to be cleaner and less congested. However, one of the best things about Athens is that you can take the metro almost anywhere you want to go and then walk. A visitor can walk in the historical centre in the unified walkway, the biggest walkway in Europe through 3,500 year of history.

P.M. Communications: And if you had to sum up the brand of modern Athens, the essence of the city if you like, today what words would you use?

Mr. Alex Galinos: Culture, sunshine, friendly people.

P.M. Communications: There are many city-break destinations throughout Europe, many cities that generate a great deal of tourism. What does Athens offer in comparison to its competitors around the rest of Europe?

Mr. Alex Galinos: Well first of all it offers everything that its competitors offer; it's a very lively city, the hotels cater to everyone's tastes, from the best to the budget visitor. We feel that the cuisine is a very positive part of the city and then we feel that it has a few things that give it its edge. These are its history and culture, its climate and people, and the fact that you can essentially use the city also as a hub to do many things surrounding the city. In twenty minutes by train or by tram you can be taking a swim at a very nice beach, or you can take a boat and in 20 minutes you are in one of the islands. You can watch an ancient drama in the Epidavros Theatre, taking you back to Ancient Greece. In fact, you can take a boat from Pireaus to the theatre and on the way back, after the show you dine on the boat. Athens has attractions and a location that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. As a city itself it's a very interesting city destination and it also gives you hundreds of things to consider as a holiday destination for a week or so.

P.M. Communications: I wanted to talk a little bit about the Eurovision Song Contest. The Olympics helped to change Athens' international image. How do you hope to use the Eurovision Song Contest to perhaps cement some of these changes in perception in some people's minds?

Mr. Alex Galinos: Well, it will be a challenge. We set the bar very high with the Olympic Games, and the challenge will be to achieve those same levels once more. The city must be immaculate and we must be ready with the people there to provide any service requested for the visitors when they are here in Athens. That's what will make the difference again, to confirm the already existing image of Athens during the Olympics, to show that this is how Athens really is.

P.M. Communications: I'd like to introduce the next question with the words of the writer Henry Miller. He said, and I quote: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." Can you describe for the readers of The Sunday Telegraph how Athens offers a new way to see the world?

Mr. Alex Galinos: Whenever I visit another country or city there are certain things that I will ask myself. How was the hotel? Did I find some good restaurants? Was the nightlife fun? How was the shopping? But I think what makes the biggest difference is the vibe of the city? Was it a lively city? A place where the people were lively, friendly and nice or were they distant and sort of gloomy? I think that Athens can certainly do well on that account.

P.M. Communications: I would like to give you the opportunity now to send a message to the readers of The Telegraph, an invitation if you like.

Mr. Alex Galinos: Well I invite everyone to visit Athens. Those who have been here in the past should come and see the difference and those who have not come at all should come and get to know Athens. It's definitely worth your time for a long weekend, because Athens is easy to visit these days. You fly to the airport, you take the metro and it takes you right into the city centre to your hotel and in 3-4 days you can have an excellent time in Athens. It's definitely worth your time.