Is tourism development in our country reacting to the challenges of our times? Is tourism really the heavy industry of our country? What actions can Komvos-Node propose to better contribute to the sustainability of tourism development?
A number of similar questions were attempted to be answered by the panel of the discussion on Tourism and Sustainability that took place during the 2nd annual conference of Komvos–Node.
The initiative for this action belongs to Elizabeth Filippouli – founding member of Komvos-Node, journalist and social entrepreneur, founder of the Global Thinkers Forum.
The panel also included Alexandra Mitsotaki – President of the World Human Forum, Konstantinis Rokofyllos – Founder and CEO Paleros Bay and Eleni Skarvelli – Director of EOT UK and Ireland.
The discussion was moderated by Prof. Angelos Haniotis – Professor of Ancient History, Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton.
The main conclusions that emerged from the discussion were:
There is an urgent need for sustainability in tourism.
The aim is to enhance the natural and cultural capital of Greece. This can be achieved through cooperation among entrepreneurs, local stakeholders and citizens.
Connection among local communities is essential and everyone should inform and be informed about sustainability practices.
Technological innovations can be used to our advantage and contribute in the enhancement of sustainability practices.
Overall, the discussion underlined the need for an integrated approach in tourism, utilizing technology but also integrating local communities, in order to achieve tourism development with a focus on a sustainable present and future!
For those who were unable to attend Komvos-Node’s 2nd Annual Conference in person or via live stream, you can watch the video-recorded discussions on Komvos-Node’s channel here. Watch the discussion on Tourism and Sustainability here.
At the end of the discussion, Elizabeth Filippouli announced the launch of an action entitled “Green Tourism Observatory”. This is about the creation of a committee that will operate as an advisory board, also rewarding businesses, communities, organisations and individuals who embrace the vision of sustainable tourism.
We, at Komvos-Node, would like to thank our sponsors: the National Bank of Greece – who has not only sponsored the #ENNOIA initiative, but also our 2nd Annual Conference, and Piraeus Bank – for supporting Komvos-Node, without whom our vision wouldn’t have come to fruition.
We also owe thanks to the Ecovis OneTax, INFORMAL ADVERTISING and Natech Banking Solutions.
Finally, we would like to thank DEMO Pharmaceuticals S.A. for its support at our initiative in Biotechnology and Accenture Greece for its support to the hashtag #ENNOIA action.
