Published by Zeb BhamGreece needs to market itself as a cultural haven offering more than sun and sea, the country's deputy tourism and culture minister has declared.Commenting recently, Angela Gerekou said the "sun and sea model has exhausted its potential" and warned that unless Greece can entice tourists with its rich cultural history, it is at risk of witnessing a decline in visitor numbers."There's a great wish to cultivate the local cultural identity. The competition faced by the Mediterranean model is very dear," she added.Her comments came in response to a report from Hotels.com which demonstrated a rise in hotel room rentals in many European countries in the first six months of 2009 due to the weakness of sterling against the euro.Hotel rates in France, Belgium and Greece all climbed during the period, with the latter registering a two per cent rise to an average of £93 per room per night.For competitive rates and commission free travel money, visit our Travel FX site