Territorial Strategy development with regard to Circular Tourism on the seven islands of Attica (Agistri, Aegina, Kythira, Poros, Salamina, Spetses, Hydra) as well as in the coastal municipality of Troizinia-Methana, is the subject of the Partnership Agreement signed between the Regional Governor of Attica, Dr Giorgos Patoulis and the co-ordinator of CIVINET Greece-Cyprus, Mr Kosmas Anagnostopoulos.
The Region of Attica was awarded as the first replicating territory among 14 candidatures from four Mediterranean countries in order to participate in the InCircle Project within Interreg MED Programme, following an application submitted by the Directorate for Tourism in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, with the aim of supporting the islands of Attica in order to promote circular tourism economy strategies in the post-pandemic era.
The signing of the Partnership Agreement also marks the launch of a funded European project, which offers the Region of Attica an innovative tool for managing its tourism product. This project attempts to strengthen sustainable development and tourism on the islands of Attica, on four pillars —rational management of water resources, energy saving, green waste management and environmentally friendly mobility — in order to improve the quality of life for both residents and tourists.
“A new project is launched today, which will add value to Attica as a popular all year round travel destination,” said the Regional Governor of Attica after the signing of the Partnership Agreement, while adding: “The climate crisis is a key factor in shaping sustainable development policies over the next decade, also affecting strategy development with regard to tourism product management. Partnerships, such as the one with the CIVINET Greece-Cyprus Network, are beneficial not only for those involved, but for all: tourism professionals, international visitors, island residents and — above all —the environment itself. We are paving the way for good practices that will enable us to offer more quality services to tourists, reducing the ecological footprint that is due to the increasing influx of visitors, while at the same time significantly reducing the waste of water and energy”.
The signing of the Partnership Agreement was attended by the Regional Vice Governor of the Islands, Ms Vasiliki Theodorakopoulou — Bogri, the Executive Regional Regional Councillor for Tourism, Mr Theodoros Koutsogiannopoulos, the Director-General for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Ms Argyro Paraskevopoulou and the Head of the Tourism Directorate, Ms Athina Kolyva.
Upon signing of the Partnership Agreement, the first technical meeting between officials of the Region of Attica and the CIVINET Greece-Cyprus Network was held in the offices of the Directorate for Tourism, to discuss about the individual steps to be taken by each contracting party for the successful implementation of the project as well as the timeline for the actions to be implemented.
