Hotel for Sports Tourism Opening on Limnos Island, Greece

Photo source: Porto Myrina

The world’s leading athletes will be able to train while enjoying their holidays in Greece at the Porto Myrina sports resort on Limnos island which opens its doors to the public on Thursday, May 26.

The new Limnos hotel, to be inaugurated this week by Greek government officials in the presence of the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC), is a “Powered by Playitas” project and offers the finest infrastructure in sports and exercise, approved by the SOC for the training of its teams.

Playitas is also behind another sports resort in Greece, the Sivota Retreat, in Epirus.

Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias underlined the importance of the new accommodation facility, particularly in view of efforts being made by the ministry to diversify Greece’s tourism product.

“This hotel will cater in the summer months to tourists and travelers and during the rest of the year will be open for the preparation of Olympics-level teams and athletes,” said Kikilias.

The minister went on to add that the Covid-19 crisis was an “opportunity” for Greece.

“The way we handled the pandemic – especially in the early stages – resulted in the rebranding of our country as a completely safe destination. So, at the moment, we are not talking only about the ‘branded’ destinations. Our focus is to constantly introduce new destinations,” he said.

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias

The new sports inclusive resort, the second of its kind in Greece, is expected to contribute to tourism ministry actions to extend the tourism season beyond the traditional summer months and to create the conditions, particularly in view of growing trends for sports, fitness and wellness products, that will establish Greece as a global sports tourism destination.

Among others, it offers a wide range of sports and activities included in the price such  WOD box/CrossFit box, yoga and dance classes, padel tennis and tennis coaching and courts, SUP, kayaking, running and jogging trails, guided bike tours, spinning, group fitness training, 5-5 soccer, basketball, and open water swimming.

Earlier this year, Kikilias inked a deal with Apollo Travel Group, a member of the DER Touristik family and a leading Scandinavian tour operator, which plans to bring some 500,000 visitors to Greece this year. The group also operated the hotel last year in Syvota, and Sweden’s Olympic team carried out part of its training in the region of Epirus.

“Tourism is a key driver of economic growth, as revenues from the tourism product go directly to the average Greek family, to employees and shopkeepers, farmers and owners of the small and medium-sized businesses,” said Kikilias.