On the occasion of the recent survey by the Rural Tourism Clusterepaithros+ on the demand recorded around rural tourism in Crete, the General Manager of ETAM SA and coordinator of the Cluster, Ms. Chryssa Pagalou, granted an interview to Rethemniotika Nea, highlighting the modern needs of travelers, the development prospects of the hinterland and the decisive role of authenticity, sustainability and targeted promotion in the formation of an alternative, sustainable tourism model for the island.
Below you will find the article as published.
Rural tourism, a big bet for Crete
THE PROJECT AND ACTIONS OF THE “EPAITHROS+” CLUSTER
*By Rafaela Koutantou
The recent publication of the results of the survey carried out by the Rural Tourism Cluster epaithros+, during the period September – October 2025, with 1,187 questionnaires, collected both at Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” and via the internet, regarding tourism in Crete and in particular in what has to do with travelers’ interest in thematic tourism, alternative activities, what the island means to them in general and how they evaluate their experience coming here, revealed that although Crete seems to be inextricably linked to the sun – sea duopoly, (the vast majority of travelers, 81%, answered that is the main reason why they choose the island for their vacations, while 88% identify that the characteristics Sun – Sea – Relaxation are the elements that Crete offers), it also appears from the answers that there is a great need for the modern traveler to contact the authentic side of Crete, its culture, history, gastronomy, civilization. In fact, 41% of the participants answered that they come to Crete for the Cretan diet and its products, while 70% of travelers identified during their vacations that Crete can offer “Culture – History”, as well as 68% found that Crete offers “Nature – Landscapes – Routes”. Even 24% discovered that Crete can offer “Agritourism – Ecotourism”. Although, as stated in the survey, only 1.9% of travelers stated that they traveled with the purpose of participating in special or thematic forms of tourism activities, as noted in “R.N.” by Chryssa Pagalou, general manager of the consulting company ETAM SA and coordinator of the Rural Tourism Network epaithros+, to a question that asked “during your visit, at what moment did you feel closest to the way of life of the locals,” the answer of most was “when I was talking to residents,” while to the question “if you could relive a moment from your experience in Crete, what would it be,” the answers were “contact with nature, walking, the landscape, the view.”
These qualitative characteristics, as Ms. Pagalou explains, which can make a difference in the holidays of modern travelers by making them memorable, are found in abundance, intact and authentic in the hinterland of the island, in its countryside. And of course, Rethymno has a great cultural capital and natural wealth, ready to be discovered and explored by those interested. “We are very impressed as a Network by the fact that for the third year in a row that we are conducting the survey, immediately after the answer about the sun and the sea (the reason why tourists come to Crete), is culture and gastronomy. This is a very strong characteristic, one might say of identity, for Crete. And of course, the greatest interest is somewhat described in the question of their own description (the travelers’ ed.) in one word, the feeling that the Cretan countryside leaves them with. Peace comes first, joy comes second, freedom. All of these are very important findings.”
The prospects for the development of the countryside in the direction of alternative tourism, under the umbrella of which there is a multitude of thematic activities and special forms of tourism, are many, according to Ms. Pagalou. However, it is important for the preservation of the authenticity of the hinterland that any development that occurs has the characteristics of sustainable development, that which does not exploit and alter the local identity, but rather utilizes it, puts the rural people at the center and works for their benefit. “Sustainable local development for our villages first of all means that they remain active. The aging indicators are moving at very high levels, so there should be substantial planning. Where to see what the dynamics of each region are based on the carrying capacity it has. That is, we cannot develop more than a place can withstand, but we certainly cannot let it weaken or become deserted. And another dimension for sustainable development: this can be done through people and the landscape. And what do I mean? Sustainable development is when local shops in the countryside can be maintained that produce local products, authentically, with raw materials from the source. We find this in the hinterland. Where the products are actually produced. And the other very important thing is integration into the landscape. In other words, it is very important to respect the landscape of each region. Not to create monstrosities”, points out, among other things, Ms. Pagalou.
Need for targeted promotion and promotion
The big challenge, or bet for the Region of Crete, as the coordinator of the Rural Tourism Cluster epaithros+ puts it, taking into account the findings of the above research, is to manage to interconnect the existing “material” of the island’s hinterland with the travelers who arrive on the island, millions of them every year, and spend their holidays mainly on the coast, enjoying the sun and the sea. This is probably where the “weakness” is located. A targeted promotion and promotion of the hinterland, which will ultimately attract the traveler to enjoy what he often seeks as a complement to his vacation, as revealed in the research: nature, culture, history, authentic gastronomy and contact with locals or even to attract those who are exclusively “looking” for rural tourism. “The visitor to the countryside can be a visitor who comes specifically for the countryside, that is, to spend the night or stay five to seven days in the countryside. However, he or she will have to find this somewhere. That is, there should be at least a website where he or she can find out what is available. At the same time, there is the visitor who comes for the “sun and sea” but there should be an interconnection with the hinterland. There, of course, he or she is asked whether the tour operator or hotels provide such types of trips, even daily ones. So, the hinterland is always there and potentially every visitor could visit it,” points out Ms. Pagalou.
The Cluster
The Rural Tourism Cluster epaithros+ (which is a project implemented within the framework of the “Research-Innovate” Action of the “Competitiveness” Operational Program of the NSRF 2021-2027 and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and National Resources), among other things, is working on the targeted promotion and promotion of the “treasures” of the island’s hinterland.
Having set up what its name suggests, a cluster, a “palette”, as its coordinator calls it, of local businesses in the island’s hinterland (and beyond), alternative accommodation, authentic dining venues, where visitors can experience local life first-hand, which businesses also coexist with members of the Network – important bodies that contribute greatly to the sustainable development of the island’s hinterland, such as the Psiloritis Geopark, the Network presents, through the ruralgreece.gr platform, gastronomic, geocultural, etc. routes, aiming to offer the potential visitor a complete experience package, depending on the place in Crete they are interested in visiting.
“We have created the ruralgreece.gr platform, which has a commercial orientation and content. That is, our member businesses and organizations can be promoted through this platform, which has an architecture. Its backbone is the routes in the island’s hinterland. That is, we have the routes planned by the various organizations such as gastronomic routes, or geotourism routes. We have two Global Geoparks (Psiloritis and Sitia) and two UNESCO areas that belong to the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves (White Mountains National Park and Asterousia Mountains). We present these in detail on this website. However, on these routes, when the potential visitor, for example, goes hiking and travels any route we suggest, will have very specific needs afterwards: where to eat, where to buy local products, what other activities he wants to do, and in addition, if he wants accommodation, to look for and find accommodation. So, the “palette” of businesses that we have on the Network par excellence is this”, describes Ms. Pagalou and adds:
“And it is worth noting that during the activation of the ruralgreece.gr platform, that is, from December 2024 to February 2025, without any advertising, this website had a traffic of around 6,000 visitors. It means that there is a need, there is a demand. Therefore, the visitor who wants, who needs such holidays, will have to look for this somewhere. So, this is what we want to do through this platform. To enrich it and for the visitor to be able to find the information they are looking for through it”.
Authenticity
As far as Rethymno is concerned, the Psiloritis Geopark, as Ms. Pagalou explains, is one of the members of the Network. She emphasizes that the wider Psiloritis area has comparative advantages in order to emerge as the most “alternative destination” of the island, as authenticity, as cliché as the term may sound, is ultimately the number one element that modern travelers look for on their vacations. And in the hinterland of Rethymno, as Ms. Pagalou points out, traditions are not evidence of the past that “live” in showcases or well-staged “events” for tourists, but constitute the identity, the culture of the people there. “The wider Psiloritis area constitutes the living tradition of the place. In other words, it is still alive, it exists. It is not an area in which you will find some traditional remains. It is alive. And in this, of course, they are very involved, apart from the residents themselves who continue to live in some cases in difficult areas and this is very important, and our members such as the Psiloritis Geopark. The actions it develops are very important. But the additional routes in the wider area of Rethymno are also very attractive and the aim is that instead of the visitor staying on the coast, he should go inland and see this wealth, both natural and cultural, which he often does not have the opportunity to locate and of course come into contact with the local gastronomy and the local population. Because if the research we did showed anything, it is this”, says, among other things, Ms. Pagalou and adds that authenticity is what any plan for the promotion of the island’s hinterland should focus on: “The term authenticity is the term par excellence for development for us. Authenticity in architecture, authenticity in product production, authenticity in contact with the visitor, in the activity. Activities that preserve the authentic elements of the place and transfer them to the visitor, to his soul and he in turn upon his return to his country”, concludes Ms. Pagalou.
Source: rethnea.gr