At a time when tourism seeks authentic experiences, the Heart It attempts to re -establish itself in the public by investing in the rising field of wine tourism. With nine wineries in its potential – which are two already visited and the rest in the process of integration – the heart of Thessaly attempts to enrich its tourist product and provide more reasons to visitors not only to choose it, but also to extend their stay there.
The Karditsa Development, In collaboration with institutional bodies, it implements actions aiming to bring the local vineyard to the forefront and connect wine with the culture, nature and gastronomy of the area. With a unique to recent tourist brand, Lake Plastira, and having suffered severe blows from extreme weather in recent years, Karditsa has seen a sustainable alternative to wine tourism, which can be combined with mountain tourism and local produce.
“Wine tourism can be an important opportunity for Karditsa, an area that has been tested hard by natural disasters in recent years and is looking for new ways of growth,” he says, speaking to the Athenian and Macedonian News Agency, Panagiotis Danasilis.
“Today there are nine wineries in the area, of which only two have official certification as visiting. However, the rest already have infrastructure and are in the process of integrating into the network, ”he adds.
The Karditsa Development, In the context of a wider plan implemented by 22 development companies nationwide, implementing actions aimed at the conversion of existing wineries into fully visited venues. As Mr Danovasilis points out, the transfer of know -how, networking and synergies with other tourism and gastronomy bodies are critical axes of planning.
Through familiarization trips, workshops and exchange of experiences with winemakers from other areas, a new culture of cooperation is cultivated. At the same time, workshops are organized aimed at tourism businesses, restaurants, hotels and alternative activities, with the aim of creating integrated tourist hospitality packages.
“There is interest from hoteliers and tourist agents. Our goal is to increase visitors, as well as to upgrade the tourist product so that Visitors to remain more days in the area And to know local products, “he points out. Local production includes quality meat products (with the contribution of the University of Food Technology), spirits, dairy, pasta and honey, creating a gastronomic identity that can be associated with wine tourism.
Already, some big hotels on Lake Plastira Autonomous actions and programs have begun to enhance local experience. The majority of visitors are Greeks, but there are also organized groups from countries such as Israel, Germany and Austria, which mainly explore the mountain range of the region.
“Wine tourism is a very big market, with enormous potential for attracting audiences. A plan to cooperate and mobilize local potential to make use of our comparative advantages, ”notes Mr. Danovasilis. “Any new opening is positive for Karditsa, especially after two consecutive blows that have left a deep imprint on the local economy.”
The prospects of wine tourism in Central Greece are important and there is a development and development space that will change the profile and create a new tourist identity in the Karditsa region, according to Mary Triantafyllopoulou, president of the National Council of wine tourism and hotelier. As he points out, ‘our greatest goal and vision It is to create single streets of wine, which will unite the country’s wineries, offering a comprehensive experience to the visitor. ” At this stage, as he points out, there is cooperation between the state and the bodies and strategic planning in this direction.
Wine tourism, he says, concerns the whole area and can be a strong advantage for its tourist identity. “The projection must be immediate and the wine routes become known to the general public. The area of Karditsa has easy access, beautiful wineries, excellent wines and hospitable people – it has all the backgrounds to lead. “
Mrs Triantafyllopoulou emphasizes that wine tourism can be combined with other forms, such as sports tourism and agrotourism, creating a complex tourist product. At the same time, it highlights the importance of connecting the wine to focus and hospitality: “When a visitor tastes a local wine in a restaurant or sees it in a cellar, he will want to take it with him. The connection of restaurants and hotels to wineries is critical.
Tourism professionals need to embrace it more. ” In this context, there is already cooperation with the National Council of Worms with institutional tourism institutions such as the Hotel Chamber of Greece (FIE) and the Pan -Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers (POX), seeking to strengthen the synergies and utilize the full potential of each area.