Designing Cultural Routes as a Tool of Responsible Tourism and Sustainable Local Development in Isolated and Less Developed Islands: The Case of Symi Island in Greece

Aspasia E. Fafouti, Anastasia Vythoulka, Ekaterini T. Delegou, Nikolaos Farmakidis, Maria Ioannou, Komninos Perellis, Antonis Giannikouris, Nikolaos A. Kampanis, George Alexandrakis and Antonia Moropoulou ()
Additional contact information
Aspasia E. Fafouti: Lab of Materials Science and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece
Anastasia Vythoulka: School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, 10682 Athens, Greece
Ekaterini T. Delegou: Lab of Materials Science and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece
Nikolaos Farmakidis: Department of Dodecanese, Technical Chamber of Greece, 85100 Rhodes, Greece
Maria Ioannou: Department of Dodecanese, Technical Chamber of Greece, 85100 Rhodes, Greece
Komninos Perellis: Department of Dodecanese, Technical Chamber of Greece, 85100 Rhodes, Greece
Antonis Giannikouris: Department of Dodecanese, Technical Chamber of Greece, 85100 Rhodes, Greece
Nikolaos A. Kampanis: Coastal & Marine Research Lab, Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece
George Alexandrakis: Coastal & Marine Research Lab, Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology—Hellas (FORTH), 70013 Heraklion, Greece
Antonia Moropoulou: Lab of Materials Science and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Athens, Greece

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-39

Abstract: Responsible tourism practices promote the idea that responsibility refers to both visitors and local communities, ensuring the protection and conservation of the natural environment and cultural heritage and contributing to a better quality of life. The role of “sustainability” in a tourist development strategy is to protect and reveal what already exists (“reuse, recycle, renovate”) rather than consume. In these terms, cultural routes can serve as valuable tourism assets that can attract visitors and generate economic activity, while protecting the environmental and cultural heritage. This study is focused on Symi, a small and remote Greek island better known as a religious tourism destination, examining how cultural routes could be at the core of an economic development and social cohesion strategic plan. Symi served as a case study due to the island’s rich cultural and natural heritage, including historic buildings, natural attractions, monuments, and archaeological sites. The revealing of those assets is crucial for the advancement of an integrated local strategy for cultural tourism in terms of responsible tourism. The primary objective of this study is to analyze how the development of a cultural routes network, integrating monuments from diverse historical periods, significant religious sites, and areas of significant architectural and environmental value, can contribute to a responsible tourism approach and further a sustainable development that generates multiple benefits for the local community in an insular region.

Keywords: sustainable development; cultural heritage; island development; responsible tourism; cultural routes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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