"Corfu - Where the tourist can see a lot but an ordinary person even more"
World Tourism Day
27 Σεπτεμβρίου 2018
/ 10:52
Today (27 September) is World Tourism Day and the President of the Corfu Federation of Tourist Accommodation Owners has written the following:
We are celebrating yet another World Tourism Day, which was established in 1970 by the World Tourism Organization and, following a difficult tourist season due to the problems Corfu is facing, the words of Nikos Kazantzakis come to mind, which I will paraphrase. Yes, Corfu is the place where the traveller can see, experience and learn a lot more than the unrivalled natural beauty, such as the cultural and historical heritage, but the person who comes to our island to spend those few days of vacation that he or she has dreamed about all year can experience a lot more. Maybe that is the 'secret' whereby this island, which, unfortunately, doesn't have the proper infrastructure due to deficiencies and adverse circimstances, not only survives (as the arrivals statistics indicate) but wins over its visitors and guests with its superlative hospitality.
However, we mustn't take for granted all the advantages that we have been given. Not only are they not enough, but they can be a trap which we must avoid with the skills of the sailors on the unhelmed ship and with targeted actions to overcome our deficiencies and turn this tourist destination into a modern and attractive destination which will satisfy even the most demanding visitors.
With this in mind, we need to immediately adopt measures to protect and maintain our natural resources and to create suitable infrastructure to respond to the large numbers of visitors - such as waste management, water supply, protection of the environment etc.
Maybe today is not the day to talk about the tribulations we have suffered this summer with the failure to properly manage the waste. Or the state of the roads and some of our monuments, which are internationally known - such as the Old and New Fortresses - and which contributed to our being designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Or the Achilleion Palace and the Archaeological Museum, which could be the flagship of our monuments but still remains closed for the third year running. All of these along with our cultural and historical treasures are huge comparative advantages which set us apart from a destination that just offers 'sun and sea'. Even though we are a top destination for those last two as well. Let's not forget that recently - in 2014 - Corfu was named as a top beach destination in Europe, ahead of of several other important and well-known tourist destinations.
These are not words of comfort but words of encouragement - we CAN create the tourist destination we visualize and which we deserve if all those involved move forward in cooperation and understanding. And, of course, face any central administration assertively in order to create the necessary legal framework to give new strength to tourism professionals and businesses.
With these thoughts and with our 'jewel in the crown' - the local inhabitants - I would like to wish good health to us all and to our families, success in our efforts in the coming year and success in taking a small step towards our final destination and to witness the Corfu that we deserve. Let's not forget the well-known saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". Let's just do it.
However, we mustn't take for granted all the advantages that we have been given. Not only are they not enough, but they can be a trap which we must avoid with the skills of the sailors on the unhelmed ship and with targeted actions to overcome our deficiencies and turn this tourist destination into a modern and attractive destination which will satisfy even the most demanding visitors.
With this in mind, we need to immediately adopt measures to protect and maintain our natural resources and to create suitable infrastructure to respond to the large numbers of visitors - such as waste management, water supply, protection of the environment etc.
Maybe today is not the day to talk about the tribulations we have suffered this summer with the failure to properly manage the waste. Or the state of the roads and some of our monuments, which are internationally known - such as the Old and New Fortresses - and which contributed to our being designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Or the Achilleion Palace and the Archaeological Museum, which could be the flagship of our monuments but still remains closed for the third year running. All of these along with our cultural and historical treasures are huge comparative advantages which set us apart from a destination that just offers 'sun and sea'. Even though we are a top destination for those last two as well. Let's not forget that recently - in 2014 - Corfu was named as a top beach destination in Europe, ahead of of several other important and well-known tourist destinations.
These are not words of comfort but words of encouragement - we CAN create the tourist destination we visualize and which we deserve if all those involved move forward in cooperation and understanding. And, of course, face any central administration assertively in order to create the necessary legal framework to give new strength to tourism professionals and businesses.
With these thoughts and with our 'jewel in the crown' - the local inhabitants - I would like to wish good health to us all and to our families, success in our efforts in the coming year and success in taking a small step towards our final destination and to witness the Corfu that we deserve. Let's not forget the well-known saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". Let's just do it.
