Delphi Forum: The big challenge of tourism – Sustainable development perspective

The sustainability of tourism was the subject of the discussion coordinated by Professor Michael Iakovidis at the London Business School and was organized in the framework of the 7th Delphi Economic Forum, which takes place in Delphi, from 6 to 9 April, and is under the auspices of the H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

During his statement, the Greek Tourism Minister, Mr Vassilis Kikilias, stressed that tourism is a sector involved in all infrastructure of Greece, even in public works. He noted that a quarter of the revenue that tourism brings to the country should be managed in a specific way that benefits citizens and Greece, while he also stressed out the need of collaboration. Talking about the balance that needs to be struck between a sustainable tourism model that will provide economic growth and new job opportunities and the protection of the Greek areas, he noted that a program is starting in Santorini and Mykonos, so that tourism does not cause any problems to the islands. Thus, as a first step, a “ceiling” of specific arrivals per day will be introduced in cooperation with local authorities. “In December 2022, we will see the results of the efforts made by the Ministry and the private sector”, he concluded.

For his part, SETE President, Mr Yiannis Retsos, noted that sustainability is not only about protecting the environment, but it is also a multidimensional concept, a very important fact we should take into account. He pointed out that, since 2019, a record year for tourism in Greece, SETE opened the discussion on the management of destinations with the aim of relieving tourism congestion in the affected areas and strengthening some others. This need arose, as there were a lot of tourist arrivals in some areas, making it more difficult for citizens handle this tourism congestion. He also underlined the need to strengthen private and public infrastructure with new investments, but also to plan actions so as to increase the tourist destinations of Greece as well as the season when tourists visit our country.

Europa Secretary General, Ms Nostra Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, noted that tourism in Greece should be supported and developed, but, at the same time, the beauty, purity and cultural heritage of the country should be preserved. She also stressed that Europe has embraced the effort to achieve sustainability in tourism. However, she noted that, in some areas, residents feel that tourists have taken over their city and this should not be the case, as not only should the locals not be pressured but they should act as hosts, since they are the guarantee of continuity and preservation of the beauty of each place.

The president of the Institutional Framework Council at the Elliniki Etairia – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, Ms Maro Evangelidou, referred to the guidance report that has been drafted and contains political, scientific and legal elements. Specifically, it elaborates indicators, such as water or energy consumption per user in each region, drawing useful conclusions, while, at the same time, it contains proposals for spatial planning, i.e. how some elements such as the number of natural resources it has should be taken into account, when a region is designed. This report, as she stressed, puts forward ideas on how to reconcile the development perspective with sustainability, while underlining that all players should collaborate without dogmatisms.