CULTURE & SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS OF GREECE’S TOURISM STRATEGY

Integrating culture into the tourist experience and taking action to reduce travellers’ and destinations’ ecological footprint is at the centre of the country’s tourism strategy for the next day, said Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias during the 11th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum organized by the Council of Europe on Thursday on Crete.

 

Kikilias said the ministry was already exploring ways to establish Greece as a leading cultural and sustainable destination through the creation of cultural routes which support green development. In this direction, Kikilias said the Greek National Tourism Organization’s (GNTO) upcoming campaign will showcase a more sustainable tourism model which is environmentally friendly and respects culture and history. A case in point, said Kikilias, was the town of Chania on Crete and the island as a whole which offer visitors insight into history and culture all year round.

Also participating in the event, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced that dialogue is needed for the creation of cultural routes, which she said, “require collaborations at a scientific and interdisciplinary level, but also the active participation of local bodies and sectors of the economy, laying the foundations of a different kind of cultural entrepreneurship closely linked to the cultural stock”.

 

In addition to the cultural experience gained by visitors, we are referring to experiences which offer new meanings and interpretations and can save and promote the cultural heritage of each destination, she said.

Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the Council’s Cultural Routes program, the 11th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum highlighted the relevance of Cultural Routes for the promotion of cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and sustainable tourism.

 

According to a Future Market Insights (FMI) report, the global cultural travel market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.54 percent from 2022 to 2032, reaching a value of 559.30 million dollars by 2032.