On the 15th and 16th of April, the Subgrantees of the EU project Med Pearls carried out a visit in the Pilot Area of Imathia, Greece. The main purpose of the visit was to meet in person with the existing stakeholders, to broaden the contacts with other businesses and the local authorities, to experience the assets and the cultural capital of the area and to present the EU project Med Pearls as well as the Tourism Project Imathia A.s.A.P.

Video done by the project subgrantees in Greece

The starting point of the visit was the Peach Blossom where a first taste of the Slow Tourism was experienced. Later on, the Subgrantees visited the Farmakis Local Cheese Products workshop and went over the production methods, while tasting a fine selection of their delicious products. After a short stop in the Footsteps of Apostle Paul Monument, the visitors checked in at Olganos VL hotel, and carried out an inspection at the Kokkino Spiti Hotel, where they were also introduced to the local traditional architecture and the history of the Barbouta area. At the Elidanos and Icon Face shops, the Subgrantees met the business owners and discussed on the tourism flow and the visitors’ profiles while admiring handmade artifacts. The next stop was at Marantidis Winery and at the Thymiopoulos Vineyards, where a tasteful wine tasting experience took place. The last visit of the day was at the “Aristoteles” Cultural Center of Trilofos Village, where the activities and the facilities of the Cultural Center were presented by its manager, and the common ground for implementing tourism valorization in the area was discussed.

During the Special Focus Group Meeting, hosted at the Municipal Hall of Veria, the subgrantees presented their companies and their area of expertise. Vivid presentations were made regarding:

1. The EU Med Pearls Project, its content, aims and expected results, as well as an introduction on Sustainable and Slow Tourism, and on the Imathia A.s.A.P. project scope and objectives (Ioannis Kalogiannidis, Mazi Travel);
2. Connections and Compositions of tourism experiences and hospitality (Evangelia Xyptera, Openways Travel);
3. Success Story “Camino de Santiago” (Nektarios Parmakis, Enjoy Travel and Tourism);
4. Visitor’s Psychology (Chrisa Boza, San Dopios). In the B2B meetings, the Subgrantees had the opportunity to meet with local stakeholders, know their businesses and discuss prospects of collaboration. 

The day ended with dinner at 12 Grada Restaurant, where the Subgrantees met with the chef/owner and exchanged knowledge and experiences on the local food culture and production.

The schedule of the following day included first an inspection of the hotel Olganos Rooms & Suites, followed by a guided visit at the underground Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aegae at Vergina, containing the burial cluster of Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. At 11:30 a Stakeholders Meeting was held at the Cultural Centre “Christos Lanaras” in Naousa. The meeting was attended by local business owners of the tourism sector, as well as the Mayor of Naousa and the Head of the Culture & Tourism Dept. of the Municipality. After the meeting a lively discussion took place, during which lively interest was expressed regarding the potential of the area for tourism development. Useful information was gathered and further contacts were made. 

Afterwards, a visit was carried out at the Dalamara Winery, which included wine tasting and sightseeing at the premises of the family business, as well as at the pies’ workshop Evgenia’s, which included pie tasting, introduction to the making processes and to the materials used. The last visit of the schedule took place at the retail shop of the Ktima Diamanti, where the Subgrantees tasted products, became familiar with the business’ marketing strategy and laid the ground for organising cooking sessions with the use of local resources and recipes.

The 2-day event of the Imathia visit was wrapped up with a short meeting with the Mayor of Naousa, and the promise to meet again soon, in order to establish a more solid cooperation.

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