KNjIGA SAžETAKA / BOOK Of ABSTRACTS - Treći međunarodni ...

Dipl.-Pol. Panos Poulos
Secretary General of the Hellenic Agrotourism Federation - SEAGE
President of the Peloponnese Agrotourism Union
tel. (+30) 6936500670, Vamos Chania, GREECE
e-mail: info@agroxenia.net
Title of the contribution:
Creating and distributing products in Rural Tourism
-The Greek experience
Keywords: Greece, rural tourism, economic crisis, partnership,
olive oil
Type of presentation: PowerPoint presentation
Description:
Greece, a prime tourist country, had not developed until
the current economic crisis the rural tourism sector, as
the triptych “sun, sea and islands” ensured a secure investment
in tourism over the past 40 years.
So the alternative rural tourism remains unexploited,
although the country is endowed with rich geological
beauty and great cultural resources, while the climate is
ideal for tourism 12 months a year!
Until the economic crisis came to overthrow this scenario
...
In this context, activation of the Hellenic Agrotourism
Federation - SEAGE and its regional Agrotourism Unions,
which began just four years ago and has since
been struggling to create an institutional framework for
Tourism Development in Greece, came to give new impetus
to alternative forms of tourism.
The combination of products of member companies
gives us new perspective on the scope of the uniqueness
of the products and services of our Network, and
the barter economy.
Rural Tourism-Agrotourism has the privilege to produce
additional products beyond the traditional ones (board
& lodging), which can attract more visitors, raising the
additional income of businesses and creating a special
tourism product.
Activities in rural tourism-agrotourism of SEAGE-members
are multifaceted and include:
- Accommodation
- Restaurants
- Craft Workshops
- Products
- Wineries
- Farms
- Activities
- Footpaths
- Points of Interest
All the above can be combined even better, in a more
effective networking. Agrotourism Unions in Greece
and the Hellenic Agrotourism Federation are interactive
platforms, promoting cooperation and solidarity
UvoDnA izlAgAnJA
between operators. There are possibilities for developement
of new ideas for joint activities and partnerships,
for the benefit of their members and the development
of Rural Tourism in Greece.
Production and distribution of products between Rural
Tourism businesses:
Genuine products of our member-companies are available,
not only in the production places, but also in the
local, regional and national network of our partnercompanies
across the SEAGE.
In some hostels and restaurants, we offer traditional
products such as:
- Local specialties (cheese, sausages, meat and eggs,
organic olive oil, fruits and vegetables, jams, sweets
and pan, etc.)
- Traditional drinks (wine, raki, liqueur, liquor, etc.)
- Aromatic plants and herbs (soaps, creams, ointments
healing, essential oils, perfumes, etc.)
- Artifacts (jewelery, special clothing, works of traditional
folk art such as embroidery, traditional curtains,
tablecloths, gift items, etc.).
The promotion of these products is currently distributed
in microscale, at the initiative of some active businesses
in specific areas (mainly in Crete, Peloponnese,
Central Macedonia).
There are also some local partnerships to offer exclusive
packages of outdoor activities for our business customers
(eg, mountain-bikes rental, hiking, rafting, canoeing-kayaking,
alternative tours of unexplored areas
and attractions, cultural events and organized visits to
unknown archaeological sites, museums, monuments,
etc.).
In a second stage, it is planned to establish effective
mechanisms for promoting our products (such as cooperatives,
grassroots businesses, etc.).
Barter economy:
The pilot phase of barter economy among our member
companies have also begun to operate, in the midst of
economic crisis.
An example:
The Hostel “Aposkepos” by Kastoria in Western Macedonia
(Northern Greece) manufactures soap with
olive oil. For this purpose asks clients from oil producing
regions in Southern Greece (Crete, Peloponnese) to
pay the accomodation in kind, with oil. The soap that
produces and standardizes the hostel, is distributed to
other guesthouses of the regional Agrotourism Union.
And when the Hostel owner is travelling to other guesthouses,
member companies of our network offers them
to pay his stay with the soap.
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