Pavlopetri “City Beneath the Waves”: Attitudes and Perceptions of Residents and Local Authorities Towards the Creation of a Thematic Diving Park

Ioanna Anagnostopoulou, Krinanthi Gdonteli (), George Kipreos and Pinelopi Athanasopoulou
Additional contact information
Ioanna Anagnostopoulou: University of Peloponnese
Krinanthi Gdonteli: University of Peloponnese
George Kipreos: University of Peloponnese
Pinelopi Athanasopoulou: University of Peloponnese

A chapter in Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism, 2025, pp 525-532 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Diving tourism is an alternative form of tourism with low environmental impact and many socioeconomic benefits for the local communities. The unexplored seabed is a mystery for the lovers of diving tourism. Pavlopetri or otherwise “City beneath the waves” is located at Viglafia of Laconia Region, Greece and is an archaeological treasure for diving enthusiasts. The creation of a thematic diving park can become a major tourist attraction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of residents and stakeholders of Viglafia and Neapolis Region regarding the creation of a scuba diving thematic park in Pavlopetri Laconia, as well as the perceived role of the local authorities in the management of both existing and future diving tourism activities. This is a mixed method study. A survey was administered on a convenience sample of 274 permanent residents of Viglafia and Neapolis region of the Prefecture of Laconia. Also, personal interviews were initiated with 21 local stakeholders. Results show that the local community and local stakeholders maintain a positive attitude towards the creation of a thematic diving park in Pavlopetri and consequently the increase of tourists in the region. Residents believe that negative effects of increased tourism could be traffic congestion, unsustainable waste production, reduction of fauna, more traffic accidents, overcrowding by tourists in the coastal zone, and an increase in municipal fees. Implications for the significancy of the development of a thematic diving park in a small urban area such as the Prefecture of Laconia are discussed.

Keywords: Pavlopetri; Diving tourism; Tourism effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-81962-9_57

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031819629

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-81962-9_57

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().