Rural Tourism Support Network e-paithros and the JoInOuT project were presented on Friday 26 May 2023 at the Polycentre of Sitia Municipality, in the framework of the 4th International Conference of UNESCO World Geoparks in Greece and Cyprus, “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION IN THE WORLD GEOPARKS OF GREECE – CYPRUS”, which took place in Sitia, Greece, from 25 to 27 May 2023.

e-paithros & JoInOuT participated in the 1st Festival of Alternative Tourism and Experiences “260 kmemories” which was held with great success in Chania, on May 12-14.

The Festival of Alternative Tourism and Experiences, which was organized by the Municipality of Chania, was supported by Professionals, Agencies and Associations of Crete active in Alternative Tourism and Experience Tourism, while through a large exhibition in Katehaki Square, the services that they offer became known to the public.

Ιn the framework of the “JoInOuT” (Joint Innovative Activities for OutDoor Tourism) pilot program, Business to Business (B2B) Meetings were held with great success on Wednesday, March 8 at the Multicenter of the Municipality of Heraklion, , under the auspices of e-paithros Rural Tourism Network. The meetings started at 10:00 am and lasted until 17:00 pm.

In the meetings participated the companies – members of the e-paithros Cluster with the aim of further networking and cooperation between them.

e-paithros, as part of its actions, proceeded to the printing of informational signs for its members.

Recognizing the importance of accessibility and respecting the principles of equality and non-discrimination, it incorporated the form of Braille, which concerns people with visual impairments. Braille is a system of writing and reading, a kind of “tangible alphabet”, that can be used to write in almost any language.

The e-paithros Network participated in the Innovation Days - Innodays 2022 organized by the Region of Crete on November 25 – 27, 2022, at the International Exhibition Center of Crete.

The Exhibition aimed at highlighting innovation and entrepreneurship in Crete and was under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Development and Investments.

The kick-off meeting of the JoInOuT (Joint Innovative Activities for Outdoor Tourism) project was successfully held on Friday, September 30, 2022.

In the meeting the JoInOuT project and its connection with e-paithros Network was presented, while the partners, who will also be the new members of e-paithros, presented the products/services that will be produced within the project and discussed the next steps.

The JoInOuT project:

Following the first proposal submitted to the General Secretariat of Research and Innovation through which the Rural Tourism Network e-pithros was created, a 2nd call followed in which a proposal titled JoInOuT was submitted, which was approved.

The JoInOuT proposal, which focuses on the Culture – Tourism – Cultural & Creative Industries sector, came 3rd in ranking order and secured a total funding of €2,196,299.41.

The technology platform, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Technology and Research, follows international standards and best practices for interaction, collaborative communication and content sharing.

On Wednesday, March 23, a Digital Marketing Workshop was organized by e-paithros on behalf of its members, as part of the network’s educational activities.

The speaker was Mr. Vassilis Polyzos who is active in the fields of advertising and tourism as a Brand Strategist & Digital Marketing Expert. Among the topics presented at the seminar, which lasted 5 hours, were the main tools of digital marketing, the use of SEO / SEM search engines and the formation of a strategy on social media.

In the meeting was extensively discussed the participation and actions of the members as well as the contribution of the Municipality to e-paithros, as it is the Municipality – pilot of the cluster, but also the way that the cluster can contribute to its tourism development. Among other things, the platform and the website of the cluster were presented, followed by a dialogue with the presence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayors and the executives of the Municipality.