1. Ourania Lamprianidou
Alternative Τourism

2. A central feature of modern society that affects every part of the
world & every person in the world
Within Western societies, it is hard to imagine a world without
holidays & opportunities for travelling to new places for new
experiences
Tourism

3. During ancient times
Main reasons
• War
• Territorial expansion
Throughout Middle Ages
• Same reasons
• Discovery & exploration
new lands
• Religion was a major
motivator
Reasons of traveling since the beginning
of humanity

4. Mass tourism
begun after the
Second World
War. This was
due to a variety of
reasons. Some of
these reasons
were.
1. Rise of the middle class
2. Strong economic
growth of Western
countries
3. Democratization of
tourism especially in
rich countries
4. Modernization of
transportation means

5.  Tourism is an economic activity capable of
generating growth & employment
 Tourism represents the third largest socioeconomic
activity in the EU after the trade & distribution and
construction sectors
 EU remains world's No 1 tourist destination, due to
its:
 cultural & historical heritage
 natural assets
 diversity of sceneries
 quality services
 good connectivity

6.  Ιmportant tourist destination worldwide
 Very important historical and cultural resources
 Abundance & diversity of natural resources
 Wide production of primary & secondary products in the
context of the latest food trends
 Recently businesses are created in all sectors to acquire
special tourism, upgrading & rebuilding units
Points of interest of Greek tourism

7. Mass tourism is characterized by an extreme concentration in
one place
Results of massification
• Economic, social, cultural & ecological consequences
• Overload of a place that guided to its degradation & loss of
attractiveness
Massive concentration of visitors caused
many problems

8. …but the impact of tourism economy is not without
negative effects on the host economy:
The overall volume of tourism revenues assure
jobs & economic growth…
• Effects on land values
• Change composition of working population from traditional
works (fishing, agriculture..) to service-based tourism
• Hospitality industries disturbing the community & its
cultural identity

9. The development of new forms of tourism has evolved in response to a
more sensitive international climate which was the growing awareness of
environmental & conservation damage caused by tourism
From Mass Tourism to Alternative tourism

10. To present characteristics of alternative
tourism
Aim of today’s presentation
To illustrate examples of alternative
tourism

11.  Small scale of development with high rates of
local ownership
 Minimized negative environmental & social
impacts
 Maximized linkages to other sectors of the local
economy, such as agriculture, reducing a
reliance upon imports
Characteristics of Αlternative Τourism

12.  Retention of majority of economic expenditure
from tourism by local people
 Localized power sharing & involvement of
people in the decision- making process
 Pace of development directed & controlled by
local people rather than external influences
Characteristics of Αlternative Τourism

13.  Aims at establishing direct personal & cultural
intercommunication & understanding between
host & visitor
 Also intent to the facilitation & improvement of
contacts between visitors & visited, to obtain a
cultural exchange & intercommunication of
both parties
Characteristics of Αlternative Τourism

14. %
 Sustains or enhances
geographical
character of a place
 Its environment
 Culture
 Aesthetics
 Heritage
 the well-being of its
residents
Alternative tourism
Reasons why
alternative
tourism has
become a
fashionable
term within the
last two to three
decades

15. %
Alternative tourism
most of all
E n g a g e s
Residents who gain a
deeper appreciation for
what makes their place
unique
Tourists, who have a
more authentic
experience…

16. %
Forms of alternative tourism
• Cultural-Heritage tourism
• Ecotourism
• Agrotourism
• Wine tourism
• Active tourism
• Pleasure tourism
• Gastronomic tourism
• Medical tourism
• Religious tourism
• Social tourism
• Conference-Congress
tourism
• Entertainment tourism
• Exhibition tourism

17. %
More obscure types of alternative tourism
include
Ghost tourism, where the
traveler visits different
allegedly haunted sites &
learns about their history
Disaster tourism(a fairly new
travel type) where the tourist
reaches out to areas afflicted
by natural or man-made
disasters to offer help. i.e
Hurricane Katrina’s impact in
New Orleans

18. %
Cultural-Heritage tourism
• Is undertaken by highly educated individuals who stimulate
cultural activity in the destination
• Local residents appreciate the benefits of cultural tourism
• The growth of cultural tourism demand has stimulated the
development of many new cultural attractions & cultural tourism
marketing strategies, as different countries & regions compete
for a share of this market. For example, it is estimated that the
number of museums in Spain has increased by 100% over the
past 20 years

19. %
Cultural-Heritage tourism in Northern Greece

20. %
Cultural-Heritage tourism in Northern Greece

21. %
Ecotourism in Northern Greece

22. %
Ecotourism in Northern Greece

23. Agrotourism in Northern Greece
Although the country has large
spaces of land & cultivations of
many Greek products, this
tourism form still has to be
developed
A relatively new & yet
undeveloped form of tourism in
Greece

24. %
Agrotourism in Northern Greece
Agrotourism holidays in Greece can offer to foreign tourists a deep
insight in ecology, farming, regional gastronomy & local customs of
the country plus offers the chance to come into contact with the
Greek nature & be part of an authentic village community
Organizing workshops for pottery, knitting or other folk activities of
the Greek countryside is among the potentials

25. %
Wine tourism in Northern Greece
Northern Greece is a very extensive region that includes three
viticulture regions with corresponding wines
Epirus wines
Macedonia wines
Thrace wines
These are some of the most historical vineyards in Greece. At the
same time, the vineyards of Northern Greece are known for their
great production potential

26. %
Wine tourism in Northern Greece
Wine tourism in Northern Greece is clearly much more organised
than in any other part of Greece and that is due to the Wines of
North Greece organisation, which has designed the Wine Roads
of Northern Greece
Wine tourism in Northern Greece is greatly aided by the Egnatia
Odos national road, which intersects Northern Greece from end
to end and facilitates fast and safe road travel

27. %
Wine tourism in Northern Greece
Wine Roads of
Northern Greece
include 8 routes
• Wine Route of Epirus
• Wine Route of the Lakes
• Wine Route of Pella-Goumenissa
• Wine Route of the Olympian Gods
• Wine Route of Naoussa
• Wine Route of Thessaloniki
• Wine Route of Halkidiki
• The Wine Route of Dionysus

28. %
Wine tourism in Northern Greece

29. Active tourism in Northern Greece
Recently active tourism became an important tourism type
Olympic soul plays big role! We are here where it all started!
Ancient Greeks used to travel to participate in sports games in
900 BC.
Recently ‘sports tourism’ is expanded to active tourism &
includes all sorts of activities such as, marathon competition,
bicycling, scuba diving…

30. Active tourism in Northern Greece
Two major events take place in
Thessaloniki that are attracting
more visitors year by year
• International Marathon
Alexander the Great
• International Thessaloniki Night
Halfmarathon

31. %
Pleasure tourism in Northern Greece
To improve the physical or spiritual condition of an individual

32. %
Pleasure tourism in Northern Greece
To improve the physical or spiritual condition of an individual

33. %
Medical tourism in Northern Greece
People elect to travel across international borders with the
intention of receiving medical treatment most commonly dental
care, cosmetic surgery, elective surgery & fertility treatment
There has been a shift towards patients from richer, more
developed nations travelling to less developed countries to access
health services, largely driven by the low-cost treatments
available in the latter and helped by cheap flights & internet
sources of information.

34. %
Medical tourism in Northern Greece

35. %
Religious tourism in Northern Greece
In Greece there is a great number of less-known religious tourism
destinations
Churches & monasteries with worshiping ceremonies, combined
with other tourist attraction elements, such as tradition & culture,
nature & gastronomy, can lead to the formation of new emerging
tourist destinations, introducing tourist activity that finally acts as a
regional development tool for the remote areas of the country

36. %
Religious tourism in Northern Greece

37. %
Religious tourism in Northern Greece
Steps of Apostle Paul
who spreading Christianity visited Samothraki, Kavala (Neapoli), Philippi,
Amphipolis-Apollonia, Thessaloniki, Veria, Athens, Corinth
Religious tourism in the Mount Pike
• Monastery of Panayia (Madonna)
• Holy Monastery of St. Raphael, Nikolaos and Irini
• Holy Monastery of St. George

38. %
Conclusions
Alternative Tourism Principles
1. Integrity of place
2. International codes
3. Market selectivity
4. Product diversity
5. Tourist satisfaction
6. Community
Involvement
7. Community benefit
8. Protection and enhancement of
destination appeal
9. Use land wisely
10. Conservation of resources
11. Planning
12. Interactive interpretation
13. Evaluation

39. %
Conclusions
People enrolled in the alternative tourism travel
with the wish of being immersed in the culture they
are visiting & not only a spectator

40. %
Greece is still at the beginning. "Alternative Tourism" is the one that
will mark a new period of tourism development and tourism policy for
the Greek area, as the number of European citizens turning to
alternative tourism is more than 35,000,000 and rising at 20% time.
Alternative tourism can and should go ahead. Obviously,
circumstances require it.
It has to proceed holistically and in a coordinated way, based on an
institutional framework, on a national policy that will activate the
actions and the areas that make up it. It has to go ahead and go well.
"Alternative Tourism" can not and should not be an unprecedented
development of Greek tourism, but it is an opportunity for its rebirth.

41. Ourania Lamprianidou
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