Travel
E
arly October of 2012, I had
the pleasure of meeting Sofia
Bournazi via e-mail. She was
Marketing Director for
the Halkidiki Tourism
Organization and was interested
in sponsoring a press trip. As the
committee I co-chaired worked
putting together this trip, Sofia
became a friend and our first trip
was organized in May of 2013.
Due to the success of the first trip,
we worked on a second one for June
2014. This time, my husband Norm
and I were fortunate to be part
of the group attending. Sofia and
I clicked and developed a great
appreciation for her marketing
ability, work ethic, love of country,
and sense of life. Sofia thinks
outside the box and has the ability
to pull people together to provide
successful business and personal
relationships and associations.
Maralyn: Sofia, what prompted you
to focus on tourism as your career?
Sofia: The idea of visiting
cosmopolitan places and being part
of a life-style where everyone
was smiling and had a good time
has always been appealing to me.
Growing up, I discovered that in the
tourism business, you help people
materialize their dreams. I think that
the combination of enjoying what
you do and finding a meaning in your
job, creates a career.
Maralyn: Can you share a little
about your company and how you
have branched out?
Sofia: I founded PASS PARTOUT
marketing company in 2004, after
working in tourism and for tourism
for a decade. Since 2008, tourism
marketing consulting and education
became the main activity of my
company. For the last five years,
PASS PARTOUT has undertaken
the marketing strategy of the
destination Halkidiki, cooperates
with tourist boards and companies
of other regions, especially in
Northern Greece, elaborates
marketing plans for projects of
the European Union, organizes
educational seminars and promotes
destinations via two travel
magazines: www.pass2greece.gr
and www.pass2europe.com
Maralyn: You seem to have a knack
to bring many different areas of
Northern Greece together; was
that a challenge?
Sofia: The geographical borders of
each area do not apply in tourism.
When we all travel, we don’t really
pay attention where one region or
Thessaloniki Photo
by Maralyn D. Hill
Maralyn: Can you tell us about
how you’ve seen Halkidiki tourism
demographics grow since you
have started that collaboration
for tourism?
Sofia: Halkidiki has 100,000
population, but since it is a well
known leisure destination, it attracts
more than 1,000,000 visitors during
summer season. Of course, this has
never been a one man show, but
a result of synergies between the
associations, the businessmen and
the local authorities. Halkidiki is
represented by clusters and
associations that operate under
the umbrella of Halkidiki Tourism
Organization. I am lucky to
participate in a team that promotes
the destination via a unified
marketing strategy which is targeted
and specialized. Today, Halkidiki
attracts visitors from 30 countries
worldwide, protects and certifies
its natural and artificial treasures,
follows the new global trends in
tourism, upgrades its infrastructure
and educates the people that work
in the tourism business.
country ends and the other begins;
all we care about is how easy it is
to travel from one place to another
and if we have something interesting
to see or do in a close distance.
Northern Greece hosted several
civilizations during its 3.000 year
old history and every one of them
left its mark. Therefore, there are
several cultural, historical, religious,
nature, gastronomy routes for the
visitors to explore: the footsteps
of St Paul, the residence of the 12
Olympian Gods, the birthplace o `