Greece Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias praised Heraklion as a fine example of cooperation between tourism operators and local authorities earlier today.
In town for meetings with Mayor Vassilis Labrinos, the minister arrived to discuss the evolution of the current touristic season on Crete. Both Kikilias and Labrinos confirmed that Crete’s summer is already going very well, even with a few hurdles needing to be crossed. A shortage of workers in the industry was also on the agenda.
The two also discussed ways in which Heraklion can be at the center of forging an extended tourism season beyond the beachgoing boom. Gastronomy tourism was on the agenda, especially since Heraklion is at the center of Crete’s culinary prowess.
The minister met yesterday with key people in the culinary realm, including the owner of world-famous Peskesi, Panagiotis Magganas. Peskesi’s Organic Farm is something of a legend in the region, especially since Magganas’ restaurant was named one of the top 50 traditional restaurants in the world recently. We spoke briefly with Magganas about his discussions with Kikilias. Basically, the ministry is very interested in promoting the farm-to-table/table-to-farm concept, biodynamic agriculture and products, zero waste, and sustainable gastronomy, all of which Peskesi is a leading force in. Magganas had this to add:
“I was impressed with the minister’s interest in sustainable traditional gastronomy we’ve been developing for years now. For us, peaking people’s awareness of true traditional Cretan gastronomy both at the farm and in our restaurant, along with helping expand our island’s touristic potential, is super important.”
Our recent coverage of the IHF Beach Handball World Championships held at the all-new Kartersos Beach Sports Complex attests to the potential of alternative tourism for the island. Teams from all over the world gathered at the beach complex outside Heraklion, to vie for the world title.
Partially sourced from CreteAlive News.