ECOCLUB Greece™ - Ειδήσεις και Απόψεις για τον Ελληνικό Τουρισμό

Almost 15 years have passed since Sea Diamond, a cruise ship operated by Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines (rebranded Celestyal Cruises in 2014), sunk after striking a reef, near Athinios, Santorini's main port, with the loss of two lives. An oil barrier has been placed over the shipwreck but the committee has produced pictures that indicate it is not fully effective, releasing oil, tar and heavy metals to the surrounding sea (Santorini Caldera) on a daily basis. The last development in the related 15-year legal saga was a court dismissal, in July 2021, of a request by the Municipality of Santorini that the ship owners be once more obliged to raise the ship. The court found that the Municipality is not the appropriate body to file such a request. An earlier court decision in 2014 has already ordered the shipowning company to raise the wreck and pay compensation of EUR 14m to the Municipality of Santorini, but neither happened. Various governments have also paid lip service to the need to raise the ship, which, left on site, will keep polluting for another 420 years. The Citizens' Committee announced their intention to take, once more, but this time as united citizens, the matter to the courts. Louis Group was founded in 1935 by the late Louis Louizou, considered the "father of Cyprus Tourism".

Read More: Nea Santorinis | Kykladiki

In a detailed report, Documento newspaper, presents the determined efforts of a well-known shipowning family, during the pandemic, to build a new resort in an abandoned 12-acre field near the traditional settlement of Papigo, a famous domestic tourism destination, but inside the most strictly protected Zone of the North Pindos National Park. The efforts provoked a reaction by 80 Papigo residents, who were supported by the local branch of Elliniki Etaireia. A debate in the municipal council was won by the developers side by just one vote, the vote of the mayor which counted double! As a result, the boundaries of the settlement changed and a new road was built. Protests have also been lodged by the NGO Kallisto, the Communist Party councillors in the Regional Council of Epirus, and the MERA25 Party whose MP Kriton Arsenis brought the matter to the Greek parliament in December 2021. Ironically, all this is happening while Greece is trying to inscribe the area in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Works are currently underway and while local state environmental agencies are supposedly looking into the matter, owners of neighbouring fields are probably preparing to sell to other developers... Once more private profits will prove more powerful than anything else?

Costas Carras (1938-2022), passed away just a few days after the 50th anniversary of Elliniki Etaireia - Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, a leading Greek NGO which he founded with his wife Lydia in 1972. It was a reaction to the violent destruction brought upon the environmental and cultural landscape of Greece by the populist economic policies of the military dictatorship (1967-1974) that encouraged easy business loans and mindless, unplanned construction. Born in London to an old shipping family from Chios, and the son of Captain Yannis Carras (who launched Halkidiki as a destination by creating the Porto Carras Grand Resort) he studied History and Philosophy at Trinity College Oxford and Economics at Harvard and then also worked in Shipping. Ever active in public affairs, he held many and diverse roles including Vice President of Europa Nostra, Coordinator of the Greek Chapter of the Greek Turkish Forum and an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. His early successes with Elliniki Etaireia included the cancellation of a planned industrial zone in the southern Attica, the preservation of Plaka, Athens' old Town, the initiation of conservation in Prespa lakes and the staunchly pro-conservation wording of Article 24 of the Constitution of Greece. Costas Carras personally played an instrumental role in saving important monuments in Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey and hopefully his legacy will inspire the coming generations of the three countries in safeguarding the regions rich heritage and engaging in peaceful dialogue.

According to the unions, the February 2022 "Euroferry Olympia" maritime tragedy in the Adriatic (1 dead, 10 missing), has revealed that personnel cuts, insufficient infrastructure and poor sanitation standards according to official port control reports, with the state of cabins (also alleged in some social media posts), may have all contributed to truck drivers choosing, customarily, to remain in their vehicles during transit, something that should be prohibited. The Truck Drivers Union reminded the Ministry of Merchant Marine that they had informed them of the unsuitability of the particular ship since 2017, while a guest on Nikos Boyopoulos radio show on Real FM pointed out the appeal of this ship was the significantly cheaper tickets. The ship operators, Grimaldi Group, have refuted all allegations about the ships condition, stated that there were enough cabins, and insinuated that the missing truck drivers must have hidden inside their trucks so as to avoid checks from crew tasked with ensuring that no driver remains in the cargo hold. In recent years, with the purchase of Minoan Lines, the Group has come to dominate the busy Italy-Greece routes. 

Read more: Imerodromos | In.gr | Al Jazeera

Greekend?Timing is of the essence when launching a new destination campaign, at least if you do not wish to waste taxpayers money. This is probably not the case this time: (a) Winter is nearly over (b) The pandemic has not yet ended, with around 80-90 people lost each day, most in major cities. (c) Short-term breaks involving short-haul flights are castigated due to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, the Greek Ministry of Tourism decided to run a non-innovative "Greekend" campaign to promote slow-season city breaks in major Greek cities to fellow Europeans! By the way, the campaign image relating to Piraeus' Tourkolimano/Microlimano is dated - the sea-side restaurants have all been demolished during the pandemic in the name of progress/public spaces! But that's another story...

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Zagori Cultural Landscape DossierZagorochória, the 46 villages of the famous Zagori area of Epirus around Vikos Gorge, is Greece's first candidacy for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage Cultural Landscapes List, which celebrates the 'combined works of nature and of man'.  The nomination dossier, prepared by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Regional Administration of Epirus, includes information on the intangible cultural assets of Zagori, such as music, festival and traditions, as well as on local architecture, biodiversity, flora, fauna and geology.  In recent years Zagori has become known internationally, while it is also a popular domestic mountain and adventure tourism destination.

With an apparently auto-translated post in Greek on its corporate website, Ryanair called on Greek Minister of Tourism Kikilias to respond to its September 2021 development proposals to double passengers to 10 million, to introduce off-season incentives and to put pressure on Greek airports operator monopoly Fraport to lower its 'outrageous' rates. As part of its typical pressure strategy, it also announced that it will 'unfortunately not reopen' its Rhodes base. A blessing in disguise for Rhodes? There has not been any reaction so far from the Greek Ministry of Tourism.

Ryanair auto-translated announcement

H πολιτική ηγεσία του ΥΠΕΝ αποφάσισε, μετά και από σχετική μελέτη του Πανεπιστημίου Ιωαννίνων ότι έξι ελληνικά βουνά θα παραμείνουν "απάτητα" δηλαδή χωρίς νέους δρόμους, υποδομές και ΑΠΕ για να προστατευθεί η βιοποικιλότητά τους. Τα βουνά είναι τα Λευκά Ορη (έκταση 382,06 τ. χλμ.), η Τύμφη (202,75) ο Ταΰγετος (143,23), ο Σμόλικας (102,75), το Σάος (97,3) και το όρος Χατζή (45,61). Αδειοδοτημένα αλλά μη υλοποιημένα έργα ΑΠΕ δεν θα προχωρήσουν αλλά τα ήδη υφιστάμενα θα παραμείνουν. Εξαιρούνται έργα για την εθνική άμυνα. Όμως οι εκτάσεις που αναφέρονται στην απόφαση δεν καλύπτουν όλους τους συγκεκριμένους (και αρκετά ...πατημένους) ορεινούς όγκους, αλλά κυρίως περιοχές χωρίς κανένα δρόμο κοντά στις κορυφές. Το άλλο μεγάλο ερώτημα που προκύπτει είναι τι θα γίνει με όλα τα υπόλοιπα βουνά... Και ενώ η ηγεσία μας δείχνει ψηλά στα βουνά και γενικά στους ουρανούς (βλ. Ραφάλ), την ίδια ώρα στις θάλασσες γίνονται σεισμικές έρευνες για πετρέλαιο στις κύριες περιοχές ωοτοκίας της Καρέτα στη Μεσόγειο, τον Κυπαρισσιακό....

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Athens Hilton employees went on strike on Monday 17 January to protest the sudden decision by owners Ioniki Xenodoheiaki, majority controlled by TEMES since 2019, to shut down the hotel at the end of January 2022, for a major 3 year refurbishment. The 350 employees have been offered a choice of two redundancy packages but they consider both grossly inadequate. They also accuse new owners Temes of using the refurbishment as a convenient way to get rid of old employees and hire new ones according to the flexible labour legislation recently introduced by the Mitsotakis government. The refurbishment plans include a part-conversion into private residences, construction of new restaurants, and a name change into Athens Conrad. 

Read More: Athens Hilton Employee Union Announcement (in Greek)

Για την εξυπηρέτηση των τουριστικών εγκαταστάσεων, "θα επιτρέπεται διάνοιξη οδών και σε δημόσια δάση και δασικές εκτάσεις καθώς και σε χορτολιβαδικές, βραχώδεις ή πετρώδεις εκτάσεις των ημιορεινών, ορεινών και ανώμαλων εδαφών." Επίσης, στο υπό ψήφιση νομοσχέδιο προβλέπεται ότι οι προς πώληση ή εκμίσθωση τουριστικές κατοικίες θα μπορούν στο εξής να καταλαμβάνουν, υπό προυποθέσεις, έως και το 50% (αντί 30% μέχρι σήμερα) της δομημένης επιφάνειας ενός σύνθετου τουριστικού καταλύματος.

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According to the Hotel Athens Melia Employees Committee in early December 2021 they were informed by the Hotel Manager of imminent layoffs, despite the fact that all employees are part of the "Syn-ergasia" programme which explicitly protects employees from layoffs. The Management subsequently fired two workers and is trying to convince others to leave citing a drop in business. Syn-ergasia is a special Pandemic-era state support programme that covers 60% of the wage and insurance contributions of hotel workers. A number of hotel unions from other large hotels in Athens, including the Athens Marriott Employees Union, have issued declarations of support to the strikers.

Residents and environmental organizations have tried for many years to stop a large tourism development on the picturesque Koumbara-Diakofto peninsula, that becomes a small island during winter months, one of a few remaining pristine landscapes on touristy Ios island until recently. The project was initially approved by the New Democracy (Samaras) administration in August 2014, while in late 2015, the Syriza-led government also approved the exclusive use of the beach by the development, causing a mini-crisis with their junior coalition partner Ecologists-Greens. A Council of State ruling in 2016 succeeded in stopping most of the works. The project was deemed a strategic investment by the New Democracy (Mitsotakis) administration in July 2020 in an effort to unlock it. Now, Efimerida Syntakton reports that a three-member court in Naxos, has ruled in December 2021 that the development has indeed violated environmental laws, mainly in relation to a cement (rather than wooden) bridge connecting the peninsula and sentenced the owner of 105 S.A. to a 16-month suspended sentence. It may be an ethical victory against uncontrolled tourism development but in reality there is little reason for residents and environmentalists to rejoice: the development has not been deemed illegal per se, and it will stay in place. Some constructions and the bridge may have to be redesigned or rebuilt, while the developer, a Greek-American ex-Wall Street investor, who controls many other developments on Ios and reportedly now owns up to 30% of the island through various shell companies (owning hotels, bars and restaurants) after a long series of land purchases since 2010 during the Greek Economic Crisis, will most certainly appeal.

"This is Athens", the official tourist guide of Athens in collaboration with the non-profit organization "With other eyes" have mapped a total of 8 tracks in the capital, four aimed at people with mobility disabilities and four at people with visual impairments. The routes, explained in English and Greek, are presented on an interactive map, which shows possible obstacles, as well as how to avoid them. The aim was to combine the most possible points of interest in the city with the fewest obstacles along the way.

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The 7th Athens Biennale, titled "ECLIPSE" is currently taking place in the historic centre of Athens featuring local as well as well-known international artists, many of whom are exhibiting in Greece for the first time. It is co-curated by Omsk Social Club and Ghanaian-American Larry Ossei-Mensah under the artistic direction of Greece's Poka-Yio (Polydoros Karyofillis), co-founder of the Athens Biennale.

The exhibition "highlights the obscured perspective of reality caused by the constant state of flux we are experiencing in our society now" and also focuses on changes in Athens itself, "as a rising metropolis located at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa both physically and historically." Seeking to "assess the implications of identity, history, and cultural complexity" the 7th Athens Biennale highlights works of artists from the African Diaspora, Queer and other artistic voices that have historically been marginalised, with the aim of encouraging the viewers' imagination of potential parallel worlds and futures, platforming ideas such as co-existence, "radical care", "interspecies friendship" and "sonic viewing", with references to the pandemic social-distancing and isolation, while challenging oppressive mechanisms and "outdated idealism". It deploys various immersive techniques such as real game play, radical gossip, persuasive realities, "emotional hypnosis", bodying, synthesis, and visualization.

Among many striking installations one notes Christoph Draeger's "Black September", a detailed restaging of the kidnapping, execution and massacre of the Israeli Olympic team by members of the terrorist group Black September at the XX Olympiad in Munich 1972,  Navine G. Khan-Dossos's "Nea Xysta" art installation, inspired by Chios island's Xysta decorative wall art tradition, and Simon Denny's "The Extractor" board game, which criticizes data-mining and surveillance Capitalism. 

ECLIPSE offers a unique opportunity to visit the three neighbouring landmark "ghost" buildings in the historic centre of Athens where it is housed: the Former Department Store Fokas, shut down by the economic crisis, the Former "Santaroza" Courthouse in Justice Square (built in 1830, the first public building in Athens after national independence, originally the royal printing house, sealed since 1986), and Schliemann-Mella Hall, a grand, neo-baroque 5-level building of the 1890s, which although abandoned, still houses "Ideal" Athens' oldest cinema and the largest with 2,000 seats when it first opened in 1922. It is also possible and highly recommended to book a guided tour with Bienalle's art experts while there are live performances detailed in the official programme.

The 7th Athens Biennale is co-financed by the Hellenic Republic and the European Union through the Regional Operational Programme of "Attica" in the framework of NSRF 2014-2020, performs under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the City of Athens and is realised in partnership with Onassis Culture  of The Onassis Foundation.

For more information visit eclipse.athensbiennale.org/en

POEET the Greek Federation of Food and Tourism Employees announced that its members will go on a 24 hour strike on 9 November 2021 to protest patchy unemployment benefit and inadequate social insurance cover issues which are related to the pandemic lockdown of 2020 and early 2021. Around 11% of Greeks work in the Accommodation and Restaurant sectors and around 25% work directly or indirectly in Tourism & Leisure.

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The National EuroVelo Coordination Center Greece will operate on the basis of a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Tourism, the Central Union of Greek Municipalities and the NGO "Poleis gia Podilato" (Cities for Cycling). The centre will research and coordinate the further development of Greek cycling routes. Currently there are three European cycling routes that include Greece: EV8 (Mediterranean Route, Cadiz to Athens), EV11 (East Europe Route, Norway to Athens) and EV13 (Iron Curtain Trail, Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea via Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace).

Read more:  EuroVelo | EuroVelo Greece | Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport 

The race was organized by the Natural History Museum of the Petrified Forest with the support of the Lesvos Cycling Association and the participation of world-renowned veteran cyclist Dror Pekatch. There was a separate race for electric mountain bikes. The action was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 programme.

Read more: Travelling.gr | Emprosnet.gr

According to new law 4819/2021, effective from January 1, 2022, hotels with more than 100 beds will be obliged to implement procedures so as to avoid food waste and register any food waste produced on a new online platform. The law incorporates an EU Directive and also establishes tax incentives for food donations. The hotels should also organize the separate collection of packaging waste, at least plastic packaging, in each room. Given that the majority of Greek Hotels are under 100 beds, the measure will only have a limited effect at best. It is unclear if the platform will be accessible by the public so as to be able to check the environmental performance of the hotels.

Plaka Bridge in Epirus, built in 1866 over the river Arachthos, is one of the largest single arched stone-bridges in Southern Europe, and a key entry point to Greece until 1913. The bridge, a historical monument, collapsed after heavy rainfall in February 2015 due to foundations erosion. Under the guidance of famed restoration Architect Manolis Korres, a 6 year reconstruction project, first of its kind in Greece, was successfully completed using natural, traditional materials and construction methods. The reconstruction team won a Europa Nostra award with the ceremony taking place on October 2, 2021. 

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An agreement between the Greek Hotel Chamber and the Labour Ministry to assist adolescents in state foster care who are over 16 years old to find internships in Hotels has met with huge criticism by hotel labour unions and left-wing opposition parties who accuse the government of Dickensian-era policies promoting child labour rather than compulsory education until 18 years of age. The Ministry of Labour has dismissed such criticism as 'fake news' while stressing the need to de-institutionalize the children and ease their entry into the job market. Children over 15 years old are legally allowed to work in Greece as long as the position does not involve dangerous, heavy or unhealthy work. Children under 15 years old may also work in the cultural sector although there are strict hour limits.

A protest rally was held on Glystra beach in southern Rhodes on September 5, 2021 against an illegal development. The controversial construction, apparently a beach bar/restaurant, apparently commenced in February 2021, in winter and during quarantine, so as to go undetected. According to reports, the beach umbrella rental operators have only obtained a license from the municipality for a small canteen on wheels. However the new construction somehow managed to be connected to the electricity and water grid. The nearly completed building, which the antiquities authority, among others, are now trying to demolish is on a public land and within an archaeological zone. Such illegal constructions used to be the rule on many popular Greek beaches however central authorities have become more determined to stop this corruptive phenomenon in recent years. But it seems not all local authorities are on board yet.

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The Ministry of Environment and Energy announced that six-year National Action Plans will be drawn for seven endangered species including the three vulture species, the caretta sea turtle, the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra), the Karpathos toad (Pelophylax cerigensis), indigenous trout, Lepidoptera (Parnassius Apollo) and the flower Silene holzmannii. The plans will be funded by the European regional development fund.

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At it's heyday in the 1980s, Potamianos' Epirotiki (established in 1850) was the second largest cruise operator in the Mediterranean with a presence in other markets like the Caribbean and South America. Potamianos was at the helm of the Greek Passenger Shipping Association for over 20 years. In March 2020 he wrote a passionate letter to the Greek Minister of Shipping offering detailed proposals about the revival of a more sustainable Greek cruise sector. Things started going wrong for Epirotiki with the loss of three ships in the course of three years (1988-1991), followed by an unsuccessful partnership with Carnival, a merger and a listing in Nasdaq in 1998 as "Royal Olympic Cruise Lines (ROC)" which closed in 2005. A related cruise line, Celestyal Cruises, is still going strong however - it is owned by the Louis group, which bought a 70% share of ROC in 1999.

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The hybrid 8th International Conference of the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism (IACuDiT) will be held in Hydra Island, Greece, on September 1st – 3rd, 2021, with the theme “Transcending Borders in Tourism through Innovation and Cultural Heritage”. The aim of this conference is to promote constructive, critical and interdisciplinary conversations on the challenges emerging in tourism from the digital transformation of the industry by bringing together researchers, communities, industry and government stakeholders. The organisers have issued a call for papers, for more details visit https://iacudit.org/Conference2021/ All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, under Springer publications indexed in WEB OF SCIENCE™ Thomson Reuters.

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Chances are that, unless you are an archaeology buff, you have not heard about the Greek Aegean island of Keros. 60 km SE of famous Mykonos, it is its antithesis, as it is totally uninhabited, unless you count an endless stream of archaeologists from all over the world (that keep digging during the day and return by boat to nearby Koufonisia island in the evening). Five thousand years ago Keros was bustling, as one of the most important centres of the mysterious Cycladic Civilization (2,700-2,300 BCE), one of the earliest, advanced civilizations in Europe, that left us no written records but fortunately gave us some wonderful art in the form of the characteristic, modern-art looking, white figurines that influenced Picasso and Henry Moore among others. 

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