Niche Markets

The Internet portal for agritourism, www.agrotravel.gr has received much commendation recently as it earns its place amongst the most visited Greek portals with a plethora of daily hits worldwide to the Greek and English version of the site.

For the first time, a cultural and heritage tourism conference will be held at the Philoxenia tourism fair, November 16-19. Holding a conference during the popular and well-attended Philoxenia fair trade show is a new concept being promoted by Helexpo, the fair organizer, and the Alexandreion Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki.

As a result of the renewed interest in religious tourism, and in particular history of Apostle Paul in Greece, the neglected archaeological site of Corinth will receive the official attention it deserves as part of a religious tourism program developed by the 21st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

The first pan-European forum for agro-tourism was held recently in Epirus. Organized by Agrotouristiki S.A., the state organization for alternative tourism development, the forum will be held annually to promote agro-tourism in Greece, and to increase cooperation between Greek and European agro-tourism businesses.

Every weekend last month, tourists, travelers and locals had the opportunity to experience a unique side of the Argolida area as this year’s month-long 8th annual Epidavros Agro-tourism Festival showcased the traditions and products of Argolida Prefecture.

Creating a network of culture and tourism in the Mediterranean region is a focus of the EU’s Daedalus project presented last month by Agrotouristiki SA to tourism ministry staff and travel agency and hotel representatives. The three-year project, with a 2.5 million euro budget, will result in Internet portal that will link Mediterranean countries and provide information on cultural sites and the different products and services available. It is envisioned as a way of encouraging the development of mutually beneficial programs and activities among countries that will support tourism in the Mediterranean.

The first interregional plan for the development of religious tourism has been approved. It forms part of the EU’s Interreg III B program, implemented by Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta. The body responsible for the program here is the Greek National Tourism Organization, in association with the Church of Greece.

Greece is ready to exploit its rich religious tradition in order to entice visitors from fellow Orthodox Christian countries with the Greek Tourism Ministry intending to tap a bountiful heritage of churches, relics and miraculous icons dating back to the Byzantine Empire.

Visitors interested in exploring Greece’s mountains now have properly trained official guides, all of which have followed months of training through vocational programs.

Agrotouristiki SA, the state corporation for alternative tourism development, is setting up a network of municipalities in the central Peloponnese that follow the route of ancient geographer Pausanias, and thus promote the region as a model “ecoagritourism” zone.