SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ON LESVOS, GREECE

1
UNIVERSITY of the AEGEAN
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ON LESVOS, GREECE
Afrodite, Antje, Charis, Elisabet, Joy, Maia,
Margaret, Maria, Maria, Vasilis, Vaso, Verginia,
Lesvos - May 2002
2
Objective

• To evaluate the current state of tourism
  activities on Lesvos
• To identify the positives negative attributes
  of mass tourism activities compared to
  sustainable tourism activities in general
• To identify tourism activities related with the
  vision expressed by key stakeholders of the
  tourism industry

3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7
RESOURCES OF LESVOS

• Thermal springs
• Footpaths on mountains
• Sea sports athletic activities
• Cultural heritage (Traditional settlements,
  monasteries)
• Flora and fauna (birds - flowers)
• Gastronomy

8
(No Transcript)
9
PROPOSITIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE TOURISM PRODUCTS

• Trilogy of the water (hot springs, rivers, sea)
• Traveling in history (museums, variety of
  monuments)
• The olive paths
• The natural choice
• Promenade in culture

10
Alternative Mass Tourism

• Potential to secure sustainable tourism
  development on Lesvos
• Focus on quality of services offered
• Alternative tourism builds on the unique values
  of the island
• Existing mass tourism operates during high season
  secures survival of bigger hotels
• Extended mass tourism no option!

11
Facilitating factors I

• Legal framework
• Customer awareness of Lesvos uniqueness
• Awareness of local people of the uniqueness
• Resistance of local people to low quality mass
  tourism
• Emerging resistance towards big tour operators

12
Facilitating factors II

• Market for Greek tourists
• bad experience from other islands
• Institutions for knowledge generation
• Networks (LEPET, women cooperatives, IIIEE
  serving as platforms for a shared vision)

13
Obstacles potential problems

• Lack of implementation of existing plans
• Networking still in its initial phase (missing
  communication coordination)
• Weak promotion
• Shared vision among all stakeholders?
• No exploration of synergies so far
• Future energy supply waste management water
  issues

14
Opportunities further points

• Lesvos is NOT just another Greek destination and
  should not become one!
• Lesvos can take advantage from the delay of the
  development
• EU policies
• General tourism development (Europe)
• Division of power (national, regional...)
• ...

15
??????S?????!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!