Photo Credit: Eva Koutoumanou
The promotion of Naxos as an ideal destination for sustainable tourism for the British market was the aim of the fam trip organized by GNTO (Greek National Tourism Organization) UK & Ireland with the participation of four executives of British travel organizations, on the beautiful island of Cyclades. Earlier this year, the Daily Telegraph, National Geographic and the Times glorified, with their extensive tributes, the largest island of the Cyclades located in the center of the island complex and combines ancient history with beautiful morphology and incredible gastronomy, based on the excellent local products, famous worldwide.
Eva Metis Koutoumanou
The trip organized by EOT took place from 16 to 19 September 2024 in collaboration with the Municipality of Naxos, the South Aegean Region, the Cyclades Preservtion Fund and the renowned professional tourism magazine TTG.
The program included visits to an organic farm, an organic apiary, olive press and citrus distillery museums, hiking routes in the mountain villages of Naxos, cooking lessons with organic ingredients in a wood oven, tasting of PDO cheeses, as well as a meeting and briefing by the Naxos Wildlife Protection Association. The travel consultants gained the best experiences from Naxos and the diversity of sustainable tourism possibilities offered by the island and assured that they will include Naxos in their clientele as "Sustainability Ambassadors".
The familiarization trip was attended by travel agents from the major platforms Travel Counsellor, Not Just Travel, The Holiday Village, as well as a journalist from TTG. The team delegation was accompanied by the Head of the EOT Office UK. Ms. Eleni Skarveli, while the articles about this trip are scheduled to be posted in October.
It is noted that the promotion of the island of Naxos is part of the action of TTG Sustainable Ambassadors supported by the Greek National Tourism Organization. UK & Ireland in collaboration with the popular professional magazine TTG, which is aimed at over 10,000 subscribers, mainly tour operators and professionals of the British tourism market.
Every year 20 tour operators attend the sustainability program and win, in addition to the title of Sustainable Ambassador, a place on a fam trip. The Office of EOT UK. The United Kingdom & Ireland participates for the second year in the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes initiative organised by the TTG. In 2023, in collaboration with Intrepid and Avis, a similar fam trip was organized in Crete to present sustainable practices on the island.
A few months earlier, at the beginning of the summer season, the most popular and reputable British media glorified the beautiful island of Cyclades with its glorious ancient history, its central location - in the center of the Cyclades - its beautiful morphology but also the incredible local flavors that have as main ingredients the incredible products produced by the island and are recognized worldwide such as wonderful cheeses, wine, local meats, potatoes and many other local products.
"Naxos has it all, from ancient history and epic beaches to picturesque villages and a gastronomic culture that is unique in all of Greece"
The British Daily Telegraph ranks Naxos among the 5 most ideal family destinations in Greece.
At the same time, Naxos is among the best islands for 2024, according to National Geographic. "The white marbles, the ancient temples and the giant Kouros are 'witnesses' of the rich long history of the mythical island," the reputable and popular media outlet points out.
While the Times published an extensive tribute to the largest and most beautiful island of the Cyclades that remained for years "shy" in the shadow of cosmopolitan Mykonos and neighboring Paros and, probably, it is time to enjoy the publicity and popularity it deserves.
"Naxos has it all, from ancient history and epic beaches to picturesque villages and a culinary culture that is unique in all of Greece," says the editor of the Times' travel guide.
But it is not only the British media that glorify the island of Apollo and Ariadne, according to the German website freundin.de, which is watched by millions of travelers, Naxos is among the 7 ideal Greek destinations for peaceful getaways in idyllic natural landscapes, while during both Catholic and Orthodox Easter, the island attracts many tourists from Greece and abroad.
