Agritourism Festivities on Greek Islands

Chios island has established its agritourism festivities as an annual institution. The agritourism festival that took place last month in the municipal gardens, under the auspices of the municipality of Chios and the tourism sector of southeast Chios, aimed for the promotion of local produce, traditions and culture.

During the festivities there were also displays of local art. Participants included local producers, cooperatives, cultural associations, photographers as well as bodies from all municipal sectors of the island.

Chania, Crete, has also adopted the ideal of agritourism and arranged, for the ninth year in a row, agritourism festivities throughout the month of August.

The festivities, under the title “Agricultural August 2007-Crete-Earth-Civilization,” under the auspice of the prefectoral government and municipality of Chania, included displays of local Cretan produce, art, agritourism products, Cretan music and various cultural events.

During the festivities there were 261 exhibitors out of which 144 were hosted in stands of different prefecture municipalities, 29 belonged to the agritourism network of Chania and 88 were individual stands.

The agricultural ministry and local agricultural bodies of Chania declared that  agritourism “is a potential tool for the development of rural Crete and a substantial form of alternative tourism.”