Weaving the Xenia network in post-war Greece: The ethical structure of hospitality

Emilia Athanassiou

doi:10.52200/60.A.TTORF6J5

Authors

Emilia Athanassiou National Technical University of Athens

Downloads

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52200/60.A.TTORF6J5

Keywords:

Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Modern housing

Abstract

Tourism is examined as a vehicle for modernizing society and educating the people about mobility and the emerging cultures of leisure in postwar Greece. The focus lies on the historical, social and political milieu in which the re-launched Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) conceived and carried out the state-run Xenia program for a network of accommodation facilities and infrastructure, in the 1950s and 1960s. The Xenia network upgraded Greece’s hotel hospitality and consolidated its tourism industry as a strong pillar of its economy. More importantly, it rewove the country’s war-torn social fabric by infusing Greek society with visions of individual prosperity, collective progress and democratic participation.

How to Cite

Athanassiou, E. (2019). Weaving the Xenia network in post-war Greece: The ethical structure of hospitality. Docomomo Journal, (60), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.52200/60.A.TTORF6J5

Published

2019-07-01

Issue

No. 60 (2019): Architectures of the Sun

Section

Essays

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Plaudit

Author Biography

Emilia Athanassiou, National Technical University of Athens

Holds a diploma in Architecture (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2001), a Master’s Degree in Theory and History of Architecture (NTUA, 2004) and a PhD in Architecture and Rhetoric (NTUA, 2018). Currently, she is Post-doctoral Researcher at the School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens.

References

AESOPOS, Yannis (ed.), Tourism Landscapes-Remaking Greece, Athens, Greece, Domes, 2015.

ALIFRAGKIS, Stavros, ATHANASSIOU, Emilia, “Educating Greece in modernity: post-war tourism and western politics”, The Journal of Architecture, London, RIBA, Vol. 18, No. 5 (October 2013), 699–720.

COLONAS, Vassilis, “From the schools in the 30s to the hotels in the 60s and 70s: The abused modern architecture in Greece and its occasional rehabilitation”, in Emilia Athanassiou, Lina Dima, Tina Karali (eds.), The Modern Notebooks No. 06 / The return of the Modern: 25 years of Greek docomomo, Athens, Greece, Futura Books, 2018, 121–127.

KONSTANTINIDIS, Aris, “Architecture of Xenia Hotels”, in Donat, John (ed.), World Architecture 3/Art and Technology: Towards a third culture in architecture, London, UK, Studio Vista, 1966, 144–147.

KONSTANTINIDIS, Aris, Experiences and Incidents: An Autobiographical Narration, Athens, Greece, Estia Publishing, 1992.

MOUSSA, Myrianthe, “Constructing Tourism in Greece in 50s and 60s: The Xenia Hotels Project”, Journal of Tourism Research, Athens, Vol. 17 (June 2017), Tourism Research Institute, 264–279.

PHILIPPIDES, Dimitris, Modern Greek Architecture: Architectural Theory and Practice as a Reflection of Ideological Choices in Modern Greek Culture 1830–1980, Athens, Greece, Melissa Books, 1984.

VLACHOS, Angelos F., Tourism and Public Policies in Contemporary Greece (1914–1950): The emergence of a modern phenomenon, Athens, Greece, Economia Publishing, 2016.