Sitia will join Ierapetra for World Tourism Day on September 28, with music, dancing, Cretan food and a photo challenge that sends visitors out to discover some of the area’s landmarks.
If someone in Sitia tells you there is a World Tourism Day “challenge,” they are not sending you to another conference room.
This one involves cards, local landmarks, photographs, social media, and a little competitive hunting for likes.
The Municipality of Sitia, together with the Municipality of Ierapetra, will celebrate World Tourism Day on Monday, September 28, from 7:30 p.m., with the support of cultural associations from Agios Stefanos, Stavrochori, Kalo Nero and Lithines, as well as local hotels, tourism businesses and other organizations.
The evening will bring together music, dancing, Cretan food, local culture and traditional hospitality.
But the most playful part of the program comes from Visit Sitia.
Pick a Card and Go Find Sitia
The World Tourism Day photo challenge invites participants to discover Sitia through a series of mystery locations.
Participants choose one of the available cards, which contains the name of a local landmark or location on the reverse side.
Then comes the fun part.
Take the card, go to the location written on it, and take a photograph there while holding the card.
After that, participants need to follow Visit Sitia on social media and publish their photograph on Facebook or Instagram, tagging Visit Sitia and using the hashtag #visitsitia.
So, yes, the competition involves social media likes. But at least you have to leave the sofa first.
And There Are Actual Prizes
The photograph receiving the most likes will win a free two-night stay at Sitia Beach Resort during the following summer season.
The photograph with the second-highest number of likes will win a dinner for two at Meraki restaurant in Sitia.
The prize draw will take place on Monday, October 12 at noon.
It is a neat little tourism idea: instead of simply telling visitors to discover Sitia, the organizers are giving them a card and sending them out to do exactly that.
And if your photograph happens to collect a mountain of likes along the way, even better.
The World Tourism Day Celebration
The main celebration takes place on Monday, September 28, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the joint World Tourism Day program with Ierapetra.
The event will feature live music, dancing, Cretan food, and local products, with participation from cultural groups and tourism businesses from the wider area.
Visitors and residents are invited to join the celebration and enjoy an evening built around what southeastern Crete does particularly well: food, music, community, and hospitality.
And somewhere in between the dancing and the Cretan treats, you may want to keep an eye out for those cards.
