Study: Greece Stands to Gain By Linking Primary Sector with Tourism

In order for the Greek tourism industry to remain resilient to future disruptions and at the same be an attractive option and contribute to sustainability, actions must be taken to link it with the primary sector, suggests a study released this week by Greek research and policy institute diaNEOsis.

The development of agritourism products can help Greece diversify its tourism product making it competitive and at the same time creating fresh prospects for the future and new jobs.

More specifically, according to the diaNEOsis study, the national economy and local communities stand to benefit greatly from the development of agritourism which links tourism with the primary sector.

Photo source: Visit Greece / P. Merakos.

In this direction, analysts note that Greece could follow the example of other countries where destination management organizations (DMOs) formulate and implement strategies that connect the two sectors and promote gastronomy tourism.

Other key takeaway from the diaNEOsis study:

– 30 percent of domestic tourism spending and 18 percent of inbound tourism spending concern F&B

Photo source: AgrecoFarms.

– 73.3 percent of hotel supplies concern food and beverages

– almost 60 percent of Greek hoteliers favor domestic agrifood products for their businesses

– 30.4 percent of hotel food supplies come directly from local producers

– in 2020, the value of Greece’s agricultural exports exceeded 6.5 billion euros

– food-related experiences account for a large part of tourist spending

– younger generations and foodies are willing to spend on food experiences.

As a conclusion, the study highlights the importance of clearly identifying Greece’s gastronomic identity as well as the identities of each region, highlighting unique local products.

“Gastronomy tourism facilitates the connection of the agrifood sector with the tourism product of a region or country, as long as the elements of the primary sector are properly exploited,” said the study.