Greece Driving Green Tourism Practices with Sustainable Travel AGORA Initiative
The Greek National Tourism Organization’s (GNTO) recently held the Sustainable Travel AGORA initiative on Crete aimed at driving sustainability efforts in the tourism sector.
As part of ongoing actions to promote sustainability initiatives and best practices taking place in Greece, the GNTO’s UK and Ireland offices in collaboration with the Region of Crete organized the four-day Sustainable Travel AGORA during October 1-4.
The event brought together Greek and UK tourism stakeholders, sustainability experts and global associations including the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), The Travel Foundation, and the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA); UK travel agents and tour operators; NGOs; Crete tourism professionals; and media who had the chance to exchange best practices and knowhow particularly in view of the climate crisis.
Issues addressed during the Sustainable Travel AGORA, included creating synergies towards the development of an environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism model; increasing the involvement of local communities and agents, and promoting inclusivity practices in tourism; the use of innovative technologies and good practices for sustainable tourism development; and the effective communication of sustainability messages and actions.
The initiative follows the GNTO’s Sustainablegreece.co.uk, a project which is part of the national sustainable tourism strategy and being promoted by the GNTO’s UK-Ireland branch through a series of webinars on the subject.