The TOURAL project’s three-day meeting was successfully completed on the charming island of Alonissos, Greece, from September 30 to October 2, 2024. It focused on synthesizing insights gained from previous sessions and planning future actions for the Living Lab initiative in the North Sporades. Discussions revolved around integrating feedback from local stakeholders and fine-tuning project strategies to better align with the sustainable tourism goals of the region.
The first day was devoted to project presentations and discussion of progress in various Work Packages, while in the afternoon there was an engaging meeting with local stakeholders related to sustainable tourism in the region of North Sporades. The project aims and activities were presented, fostering an engaging discussion among the local stakeholders and TOURAL partners’ representatives, exercising in action the project ‘co-work with stakeholders’ methodology, and preparing the ground for the establishment of the TOURAL Living Lab in North Sporades. The first day concluded with a group visit to the Alonnisos Museum Kostas & Angela Mavrikis in Patitiri. It was an embracing experience admiring various nautical collections, local underwater cultural heritage artefacts and replicas, local culture artefacts, warfare artifacts, etc.
The second day continued with project presentations, assessment of progress in ongoing work and deliverables. In the afternoon, the project group had a unique opportunity to visit the Alonnisos Knowledge Awareness Center (KAC) in the old village, to be leveraged as a lighthouse initiative for the rest of TOURAL regions to uptake and replicate. The group was guided by the Municipality of Alonnisos representatives among the various facilities and exhibits, such as the illustration of information collections, the 3D models of the reconstructed Peristera shipwreck, the Peristera ancient amphorae replicas collection, and the informative documentaries and interactive platforms. What attracted most the attention of the visitors was the immersive experience of using the virtual dry-dive experience (Virtual Reality infrastructure) of diving within the amazing ancient shipwreck of Peristera.
The third day was exciting as it involved a boat excursion to the Marine Park of Alonnisos, which is a marine protected area (MPA). During the excursion, the group experienced the natural beauty and the unique wildlife of the Northen Sporades Sea. The excursion included also a visit to the small island of Kyra Panagia with the famous 16th-century post-Byzantine monastery; and a visiting route along the marked marine area near the Peristera island, with the underwater shipwreck of a 5th-century BC merchant vessel lying at a depth between 20-30 meters.
The meeting concluded on a high note, with partners feeling energized and committed to advancing the project, ensuring that the innovative practices observed and discussed are implemented effectively across all TOURAL regions. The success of the meeting in Alonnisos underscored the project’s potential to make a significant impact on sustainable tourism development.
