Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark Setting Sustainable Tourism Example

Kato Zakros from above: part of the Sitia Unesco Geopark experience on Crete.

The Sitia Geopark located in eastern Crete is a prime example of how tourism and sustainability can go hand in hand supporting at the same time local communities and boosting the national economy.

GTP Headlines had the chance to experience first-hand the latest Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark actions, one of many, as part of the “Waterways and Stories on E4 Path and the Geoparks in East Mediterranean” initiative co-funded by the EU, Greece and Cyprus, under the Interreg V-A Cooperation Program Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020.

In addition to hiking, going off road, visiting local villages and sampling local products and traditional dishes, we also spoke during our visit to Sitia with the coordinator of the Sitia Geopark, agronomist Vangelis Perakis and met with the dozens of volunteers who support the program.

The Sitia Geopark is a 517km2 area or about 80 percent of the Sitia Municipality that combines a unique geological, cultural and archaeological significance all in a natural setting that has remained for the most part unaffected by mass tourism development.

“This has been to our benefit in a way because we can learn from other areas and create our own mild tourism model based on size and carrying capacity,” Perakis tells GTPHeadlines.

Sitia was added by UNESCO to its Geopark network in 2015 after it met the requirements and passed assessments. The people of Sitia with the support of the municipality and the Region of Crete have applied to extend Geopark status to the rest of the area. The result will be announced in December.

The goal now, says Perakis is to take the Sitia Geopark a step further and to develop it into a comprehensive tourism product that can attract visitors to this lesser-known part of Crete.

Sitia Tourism and the UNESCO Geopark Brand Name

Off-road view of the Sitia Unesco Geopark, Crete.

When asked about his vision for the Sitia Geopark, Perakis, who was born and raised in the tiny seaside village of Kato Zakros, says he hopes to see it growing with respect to the natural habitat and with the participation of local communities.

In action: the coordinator of the Sitia Geopark, agronomist Vangelis Perakis.

“In the next five years, I hope to see Sitia in a position to capitalize the UNESCO brand name which recognizes this region as a destination of special value. Then we would see travelers coming to visit the Sitia Geopark which has so many things to show,” says Perakis.

“And this has been one of our primary aims, to identify the unique natural and cultural characteristics of each village and settlement, to highlight these and to enable and empower local communities through the UNESCO seal of approval so that they can benefit.

What’s more, he adds, Global Geopark status also means the protection of Sitia’s natural habitat, which the Geopark people have been making efforts to protect mainly from massive tourism infrastructure projects and wind farms.

Perakis is quick to point out that Sitia is not against tourism or alternative forms of energy but both should be designed taking the environment and the local way of life and needs as well as the carrying capacity into consideration otherwise, he says, damage is inevitable.

According to the people of the Sitia Geopark and to locals we spoke to, the biggest threat to the region are the gigantic wind farms. Sitia produces 50 percent of the Crete’s energy needs while consuming only 2-3 percent of the total generated.

“We believe that small-scale enterprise, family-owned businesses will fit in better with the environment and what we’re doing here,” says Perakis.

Sitia Geopark: The Next Steps

The next steps for the Sitia Geopark are clear. At the moment Sitia does not have its own tourism organization unlike most other destinations in Greece. Instead, a municipal tourism committee with the participation of local tourism stakeholders is responsible for tourism-related issues but it has limited scope and jurisdiction.

“The creation of an independent Sitia tourism organization is of utmost importance,” Perakis tells GTPHeadlines.

“This would bring all tourism sector professionals under one roof and together with the Sitia Development Organization which consists of representatives from the primary sector, could create a strategy for the promotion of Sitia as a unique tourist destination based on its UNESCO Geopark status as is the case in other countries.”

The next step is to develop geology, hiking and trekking routes, canyoning, mountain biking, birdwatching, and gastronomy offerings already available in the area into alternative and special interest tourism products.

Who visits Sitia? Perakis says mostly Northern Europeans, tourists from Scandinavian countries, France, Germany and the UK, nature lovers and action travelers.

“This also does not rule out mass tourism. We’ve seen that tourists who come to Sitia for more than a week come to the Geopark info booth on the port looking for something different to see and do,” he says.

Sitia Geopark: Bringing People Together

Following the water … One of the Sitia Geopark actions: ‘Waterways and Stories on E4 Path and the Geoparks in East Mediterranean’

The UNESCO Geopark status also goes a long way towards designating an area and its products. The Sitia Geopark awards a special seal to partner enterprises which include alternative travel agencies, restaurants, olive oil and other producers, visitable wineries, farms, retreats and accommodation facilities, and sweet shops. So far, 50 enterprises have been certified with the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark seal.

“This way they too can benefit,” says Perakis, noting that the UNESCO Geopark policy requires that all listed areas worldwide include in their promotion similar areas across the globe. “That way, someone in China or Latin America will also see Sitia on the list,” he says.

The success of the Sitia Geopark was evident in the dozens of volunteers we had a chance to meet and see in action during our visit. Firefighters, cooks, chefs, restaurant and café owners, university students, passionate locals and village elders all played their part.

The Sitia Geopark seal awarded to partner enterprises such as alternative travel agencies, restaurants, olive oil and other producers, visitable wineries, farms, retreats and accommodation facilities.

“Without the locals’ involvement, there can be no Geopark. The locals are at the very core of the initiative’s philosophy,” Perakis says, adding that the volunteer network now numbers some 75 people.

Each year, in addition to the hundreds of school children it welcomes thanks to its ongoing educational and awareness-raising activities, the Sitia Geopark also attracts researchers and geology experts from all over the world who come to explore its caves and subterranean rivers.

In the meantime, Crete has been singled out by the European Commission as an example of best practices after the Crete Region launched an initiative to promote Crete’s UNESCO-listed biosphere reserves and geoparks.

“The aim is to create a unique product, a tourist route connecting all four sites on Crete. The Region allocated 1.1 million euros in funds last year for targeted promotion,” says Perakis.

The four sites are: the Samaria Gorge / Lefka Ori, the Asterousia mountain range on UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves list, and the UNESCO Global Geoparks in Sitia and on Mount Psiloritis.

Currently, there are eight UNESCO-listed Geoparks in Greece, Sitia and Psiloritis on Crete, Vikos – Aoos, Grevena – Kozani,  Kefalonia – Ithaca, Chelmos – Vouraikos, and Lesvos island.

Meteora – Pyli, Nysiros and Lavreortiki are in the assessment process.