The Region of Crete and the association “Diazoma” have just signed a memorandum of cooperation for promoting and upgrading the Minoan Palaces of the island. Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis, and the NGOs President Stavros Benno signed into effect the cooperation for meeting the objectives of promotion of the cultural route of the Minoan Palaces.
The plan includes the upgrading of historical monuments, the improvement of access and infrastructure, the promotion of the rich culture of Crete, and, of course, the attraction of tourism. The plan, provisionally named “ΜΙΝΩΑΣ” (Minos), is part of a new Integrated Territorial Investment (RUE) in the framework of the Regional Operational Programme of Crete and 2021-2027. Crete’s Vice-Governor for Greeks Abroad Kostas Fasoulakis offered this:
“In signing this memorandum of cooperation with the non-profit association “Diazoma”, the Region of Crete aims to highlight the cultural route of the Minoan Palaces through which is achieved the most complete view of the history and culture of Crete, the upgrading of historical monuments, tourism infrastructure, and the aid of the particular physiognomy of the island.”
The memorandum with Diazoma provides for, among other things, the design and implementation of properly selected technical projects, such as the upgrading and promotion of monuments and infrastructure to access them, to show off the cultural richness of the Region of Crete. Accordingly, the effort will lead to an upgrade of the quality of the tourist product of the Region, with guests’ experiential experiences during the visit to the monuments of the Region. In the end, these positive experienced will create networking between the top of the cultural heritage of the island, namely the Minoan Palaces, with the local economy and entrepreneurship.
In addition, the ITI provides for the implementation of interventions which will be the prerequisite for the creation of an integrated product of cultural tourism. Actions for promotion, marketing, destination, training of professionals, provision of state aid to SMEs of the wider tourist sector, strengthening the creative industry, and support of local networks of companies are also implied.
The Region of Crete has a strong tourism product based on strong cultural elements including gastronomy, which may improve the position of Crete in the international tourist market. As a prerequisite for the achievement of this objective, in addition to the upgrade and enhancement of the monuments and the infrastructure to access them, and the increase in the number of tourist accommodation, is the improvement of the services provided to the visitors.
The overall goals of the cooperation between the Crete Region and Diazoma are expected to be achieved through the connection of the local economy with the tourist product and the factors that manage, or are of services of the central state, the local authorities, or the private sector.