Skiathos Upgrades Tourism Experience with Free WiFi

Skiathos island. Photo source: ec.europa.eu

The EU’s WiFi4EU program, an initiative that promotes free access to WiFi connectivity for citizens in public spaces, has helped the Municipality of Skiathos improve the life of its residents and take the tourism experience offered on the island to another level.

Launched in 2018, the program secures free WiFi in public spaces including parks, squares, public buildings, libraries, health centers and museums in municipalities throughout Europe.

The Skiathos Municipality was granted a 15,000-euro voucher during the second WiFi4EU call for applications in April 2019 and the WiFi4EU network was launched on Skiathos on January 2, 2020. Since then the municipality’s citizens have provided an overwhelmingly positive feedback.

The newly-installed hotspots cover the old and the new ports of the island, where businesses and travelers can enjoy the free access to connectivity.

Speaking to the WiFi4EU team, Skiathos Mayor Thodoris Tzoumas, said the location of the WiFi4EU hotspots had been carefully chosen to serve both citizens and tourists and create opportunities for growth and innovation.

The WiFi4EU network was installed on Skiathos by PlanBe and Cisco. Photo source: Municipality of Skiathos

Throughout the application and installation process, Skiathos’ representatives have focused on “leveraging the voucher to seek sustainable, but also resilient growth, pivoting around the most important constituent: the citizens”, the mayor said.

In this direction, the municipality has developed a digital strategy that focuses on information and communication technologies with the goal of making the critical infrastructure and services of the city — administration, education, healthcare, public safety, real estate, transportation and utilities — more aware, interactive, and efficient.

“Τhe WiFi4EU network is only the first step. The municipality aims to transform Skiathos into a smart city and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. We continue by using every opportunity for development, also supporting the island’s tourism growth,” Tzoumas added.