Conflagration a blight for alternative tourism
The Peloponnese has all the prerequisites for agritourism destinations for Greek and foreign visitors, according to a parliamentary deputy for Iliea in March this year. By summer, things had changed drastically. Even though the flames did not reach the agritourism facilities in the area, they still caused substantial damage. «The farm wasn’t burnt, but what can I do? Everything around it is burnt,» Eleni Vourloumi, who has a guest house in Foloi, Ileia, told Kathimerini. «All my bookings were canceled; I don’t know what will happen. And of course I’m not entitled to any compensation, because the farm itself didn’t sustain any damage. Yet it has been hit,» she says. This hot summer is expected to affect agritourism companies which have found good prospects for development in the Peloponnese. «The fires eliminated a lot of destinations,» the managing director of Scoutway told Kathimerini. «Not only in areas that were devastated, but others which are accessed via the burnt areas. Nobody wants to follow a black route,» say the outdoors activities organizers. Brigitta Papastavrou, president of Agrotouristiki SA, was more optimistic. «We can turn this disaster into an advantage. More than ever, agritourism is emerging as the development solution for the region,» she told Kathimerini.
