The World Food Travel Association is pleased to announce the 2017 winner of its Ambassador of the Year award, Maria Athanasopoulou from Greece.

Maria serves as both a Certified Ambassador of the Association, as well as on the Association's Board of Advisors. During the course of the past year, Maria arranged two Association events in Greece, negotiated distribution of the Association's Certification program through a culinary school in Greece, and flew to London to meet with Association representatives during World Travel Market. She is currently planning an Association-recognized regional conference for this coming September, is in the process of establishing an Association-endorsed food-tourism consulting practice in Greece, and will be speaking at the Association's Online Food Travel Summit this coming April 24-25. She is an excellent role model of a Certified Ambassador of the Association.

The Ambassador of the Year award is a new recognition introduced by the Association in recognition of Certified Ambassadors who have excelled in the past year in their role as a Certified Ambassador.