The limited focus and lack of priority, as well as the incomplete efforts to promote and support rural tourism, have been an obstacle to the emergence of the image and value of thematic/alternative forms of tourism in Greece. Also, the absence of effective promotional measures makes it difficult to achieve universal recognition and establishment in the international market, parameters that contribute to the reduction of Greece’s influence and position on the tourist map. Usually, promotional efforts focus on mass tourism, to the detriment of thematic experiences that concern alternative visitors. There is therefore a strong need for targeted and differentiated initiatives and actions that will highlight the strengths of tourism in the Greek countryside.

Based on the above, ETAM S.A. as a supporting body, planned and coordinated the creation of the first cluster in Rural Tourism in Greece, with a pilot implementation in Crete and with a geographical reference throughout the country, guided, on the one hand, by the progress and development of its members and, on the other hand, by the upgrading of Rural Tourism at a local, regional and national level.

Through the cluster, the aim is to diversify tourist services, improve the competitive position of members, strengthen the reputation and enrich the content and value of the tourist product, with the aim of promoting and achieving a high position on the international map of the most popular rural tourism destinations.

The innovation and contribution of the epaithros Cluster to the development of rural tourism lies in meeting the need of visitors to easily and quickly identify all the possibilities related to the Greek countryside, experiencing personalized experiences with the place and its people (Rural Greece), while the members of the cluster, on the one hand, have the ability to meet the demands of the modern visitor and on the other hand, their remote installation and operation, requires systematic support, promotion and sustainable development, while their digital transformation is facilitated and at the same time access to research and scientific development is accelerated (epaithros).

For the epaithros Cluster team, sustainable tourism is a development model governed by triple sustainability (environmental, social, economic) while giving a new perspective to the countryside, so that it can recover in modern times. The approach of the epathros Rural Tourism Cluster is based on the need to network all businesses and organizations motivated by the same purpose: de-urbanization, contact with nature, authentic acquaintance with the place, the creation of unprecedented emotions that the countryside can offer to the sensitive and aware traveler, in a sustainable and innovative way.