Momentum Gathering for Gastronomy Tourism in Greece
8 February 2023
Momentum Gathering in Greece
Momentum has been gathering to develop more gastronomy tourism opportunities in Greece.
First, last December 13, our Association hosted a gastronomy tourism roundtable with the Region of Attica in Greece. The roundtable was held with the participation of the Tourism Department of the Region of Attica and the Acropolis Chef's Club of Attica. It was organized by Maria Athanasopoulou, chairwoman of the board of directors of the World Food Travel Association and Chrysa Krassa, as ambassador of the Association in Greece and Cyprus.
The subject was the development of coffee tourism. The agenda included:
- A brief presentation of the World Food Travel Association's services by WFTA's intern Mrs. Katerina Monastiridou
- A brief presentation of WFTA's coffee tourism research, by WFTA's intern Mrs. Silvia Damyanova
- Presentation on the potentials of Coffee Tourism in the Region of Attica by Maria Athanasopoulou
- Short discussion with statements by the Head of the Tourism Department of the Region of Attica, Ms Athina Kolyva and the President of the Acropolis Chef's Club of Attica, Mr Konstantinos Mouzakis.
The roundtable concluded that Greece has a unique coffee culture that can add a special "color" to available Greek experiences in gastronomy.
And on December 10, a Gastronomy and Tourism Forum was held in Sparta, Greece. The program included various discussions about the intersection of gastronomy and tourism in the Sparta region. Sparta has a rich local gastronomy, with many unique gastronomy experiences for visitors. Maria Athanasopoulou, chairwoman of the board of directors of the World Food Travel Association was one of the speakers. In her speech, Maria shared her belief that, "The characteristic of the region is that there are many producers of local products. They need to believe in the great value of gastronomy tourism and how it can contribute to increasing their own income by increasing visitor arrivals.” She added that no one should underestimate the importance of educating the region's permanent residents about the extensive, low-impact/high-yield benefits of gastronomy tourism. Delegates were welcomed by Mayor Mr. Petros Doukas and the Deputy Mayor of Tourism Mrs. Georgia Zacharaki.
And on December 10, a Gastronomy and Tourism Forum was held in Sparta, Greece. The program included various discussions about the intersection of gastronomy and tourism in the Sparta region. Sparta has a rich local gastronomy, with many unique gastronomy experiences for visitors. Maria Athanasopoulou, chairwoman of the board of directors of the World Food Travel Association was one of the speakers. In her speech, Maria shared her belief that, "The characteristic of the region is that there are many producers of local products. They need to believe in the great value of gastronomy tourism and how it can contribute to increasing their own income by increasing visitor arrivals.” She added that no one should underestimate the importance of educating the region's permanent residents about the extensive, low-impact/high-yield benefits of gastronomy tourism. Delegates were welcomed by Mayor Mr. Petros Doukas and the Deputy Mayor of Tourism Mrs. Georgia Zacharaki.
Any businesses, mayors, organizations or government officials who would like to develop gastronomy tourism in their region of Greece should get in touch with Maria Athanasopoulou here.
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