World Trails Conference 2022 to Take Place on Skiathos

Bourtzi, Skiathos island. Photo source: WTN

The Greek island of Skiathos in September will host the 8th World Trails Conference, an international gathering of trail experts and advocates, destination managers, enthusiasts and academics.

The 2022 conference will take place in a venue located on the Bourtzi peninsula at the port of Skiathos during September 26-30.

Organized by the Geneva-based World Trails Network (WTN) organization, the biennial meetup invites trail experts to share knowledge, network and ensure that the benefits trails offer to society continue to be sustainable and supported around the world.

Photo source: WTN

Skiathos offers an extensive network of old trails covering a total of 100km and passing through streams, rivers and waterfalls, monasteries, Byzantine monuments and beaches.

“It is very important [for us] to continue to invest in the island’s trails as well as promote their significance for the connection of both tourists and locals with culture, sports and the enivironment,” Skiathos Mayor Thodoris Tzoumas said.

WTN expects participants from 25 different island destinations that have trails to join the conference, including the Jeju island in Iceland, Réunion in the Caribbean, Mallorca in Spain, Madeira in Portugal and Corsica in France, among others.

Photo source: WTN

“The significance of trails for local communities worldwide has become very clear during the last two years,” WTN President Galeo Saintz said.

According to Saintz, the Covid-19 lockdowns have shown the way trails offer people access to nature and benefit their emotional, physical and mental health.

“The conference’s program will focus on ways to bring trails into the future and highlight their significant role in adventure tourism, mobility, rural economies, sports and leisure,” Saintz added.

The 8th World Trails Conference is co-organized by the WTN, the Municipality of Skiathos, the Thessaly Region, the Tourism Ministry, the Greek National Tourism Organization and the Skiathos Hoteliers Association among other organizations.

More information in English is available at www.worldtrailsconference.org.