Xanthi Opts For Tourism Development To Boost Local Economy
A tourism office for the development and promotion of Xanthi is part of a series of initiatives the Chamber of Xanthi plans to launch within its effort to establish Greece’s northeastern destination as a tourism magnet for Greek and international visitors.
The chamber last week held a conference in Xanthi entitled “Tourism, hope of development and recovery of the economy – The Next Day” and highlighted the religious, tourism and cultural values of Xanthi and the diversity of the region in general.
“The Chamber will organize and promote our region’s potential and – through targeted actions – showcase the natural beauty of our region and make it a tourism destination for both Greek and foreign visitors,” the chamber’s president, Stelios Moraitis, said.
Mr. Moraitis asserted that the chamber is currently in the process of launching actions and will continue until “the goal is reached.” Xanthi’s target markets include Balkan countries, Russia and Turkey.
During the conference, 17 Greek and international speakers gave insight on how to promote the destination abroad and what “tools” to use to boost Xanthi’s tourism product when participating in international tourism fairs.
Comparative advantages
The soon-to-launch tourism office for the development and promotion of Xanthi will focus on the area’s comparative advantages such as its multicultural character, rich gastronomy, architecture of the old town, available sports activities at the Nestos river and Vistonida Lake (birdwatching).
The chamber is also considering to develop an integrated travel package that will include the nearby islands of Thasos and Samothrace, while efforts to promote Xanthi as a religious tourism destination are also in the cards.
The “Tourism, hope of development and recovery of the economy – The Next Day” conference was attended by Government officials, local tourism experts and professionals and travel journalists.
The conference was held within the framework of the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme RECULTIVATUR. The countries participating in the program include Italy, Greece, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria.
The main aim of RECULTIVATUR is to use the cultural religious tangible and intangible heritage values within the Territories, jointly with local assets, human resources, infrastructures and services, to develop religious tourism opportunities to contribute to the social and economic their growth.