Greek Liquid Gold: 25 Aug.2017   By Lisa Radinovsky  (www.greekliquidgold.com)

This year, the TUI Care Foundation began working with Greeks to help support sustainable tourism in Crete by bringing together the island’s tourism and agriculture sectors. At the same time, the Association of Cretan Olive Municipalities continued its ongoing efforts to promote agrotourism activities focused on olive trees and olive oil in Crete.

The TUI Care Foundation has joined forces with the Local Food Experts, Futouris, the Greek Ministry of Tourism, and the regional government of Crete in “an extensive project for sustainable food and ecological agriculture on Crete” that seeks to support “long-term improvement in the quality of food” offered to tourists while strengthening the local economy. To do so, they link “the island's most important economic factors – tourism and agriculture,” according to the TUI Care Foundation’s website.

Focusing on “the two main products of Crete – wine and olive oil” -- and their environmentally friendly production, the project already includes more than 80 local wine growers and olive farmers as well as numerous hotel partners. It supports the production of local wines from less-known grape varieties and is developing “an innovative and interactive excursion program” to allow visitors direct contact with wine and olive oil producers at local production sites where tourists can learn about the products.

As Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Care Foundation, explained, the project in Crete “shows how great the potential of tourism is for local value creation and employment in the holiday country. In order that everyone benefits from this – guests, local businesses, and the local population – a close networking of the economy, agriculture, and the tourism sector is important. We need to develop a common understanding of what guests value when visiting a holiday destination. And in the tourism industry we need to promote the fact that we are open to local products, influences, and experiences."

 

Originally published on the Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil website (www.greekliquidgold.com ), which provides English-language news and information about the Greek olive oil world, as well as photos, recipes, and agrotourism and food tourism suggestions