By Alexia Sotiriou

Greek tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni, gave a speech at the "Tourism and Sustainability" day, organized at the Acropolis Museum by the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage. The minister referred to the vision, but also the strategy, to make Greece a model of sustainable tourism development.

 

"We have the political will but also the tools," the minister emphasized, "to take advantage of the opportunities that can lead to a stable and sustainable future for Greek tourism."

 

"Through a network of actions and policies," Kefalogianni underlined, "we are creating the conditions for a new beginning for Greek tourism, aiming at the sustainability of the destinations and the tourist product. The new tourism product will be developed with moderation and balance in mind, so that economic development ensures opportunities for everyone, the natural environment and cultural capital are protected and new destinations are highlighted."

 

Kefalogianni stressed the need to move beyond the outdated model that prioritizes quantity over quality and to focus on the long-term development and resilience of destinations, establishing environmental protection rules.

 

Referring to the ministry's initiatives and planning for the sustainable development of tourism, she pointed out:

 

-Greece's initiative for the establishment of the Observatory for Coastal and Marine Tourism in the Mediterranean, with the aim of measuring and monitoring the environmental, social and economic impacts of coastal and marine tourism.

 

-The establishment of the Regional Tourism Council with the responsibility of formulating recommendations for the planning of a balanced tourism development both at the national level and in the individual regions.

 

-The Model Tourist Destinations of Integrated Management which will concern destinations with special characteristics and potential. She also added that through actions financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility, plans are promoted for the development of special forms of tourism and the upgrading of accessibility infrastructure, with the aim of protecting the environment.

 

Holiday homes: The alternative Greek destinations attracting the interest of foreign buyers

 

 

Unexplored destinations, which, however, have nothing to envy to the most popular holiday resorts of Greece and even more so of Europe, attract a consistently high number of foreign investors who want to buy a holiday home. Areas of Crete and Northwest Greece, especially on the mainland side of the country that is washed by the Ionian Sea, are expected to develop into a dominant trend in 2024, according to an analysis by Elxis-At Home In Greece.

 

"The lure of more affordable purchase costs combined with areas of mild tourism growth and traffic is proving to be a particularly attractive combination for our customers in 2024. This trend has been consistent over the past few years, however, this year looks set to stand out even more," noted Giorgos Gavrielidis, managing director of Elxis-At Home in Greece, which specializes in the sale of holiday homes to foreign buyers. As he stated, "characteristic examples are the beaches of Epirus, from Preveza, to Igoumenitsa and a little further south to Palairos and Mytikas in Etoloakarnania, which experience a period of great prosperity. Great demand is also observed in areas of southern Crete (Libyan Sea), from Plakias in Rethymno to Agia Galini."

 

The European customers of Elxis, who represent the majority of the Greek company's investors, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, are interested in taking advantage of the opportunities to buy country houses in these areas, which offer unparalleled natural beauty, mild tourist traffic, but at the same time are rising, have significantly better access than in previous years and can offer significant capital gains in the future.