A Special Planning Framework for Tourism, with a clear emphasis on sustainable development, resilience of destinations and the safeguarding of the country’s natural and cultural resources, was presented at a press conference on 11th May by the Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the Minister of the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou.
The Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and Minister of the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou present the draft Special Planning Framework for Tourism, which is open for public consultation until 15th June. The presentation took place on 11th May at the Conrad Athens The Ilissian, the first condo hotel in Greece, on the site of the historic Hilton Hotel. Photo: Ministry of Tourism.
The plan will be open for public consultation until 15th June and following completion of the consultation process it will be submitted to the National Planning Council. The aim is for the relevant Joint Ministerial decision to be signed by the end of June.
The main plank of the Special Planning Framework is the transition to a tourist model with a smaller environmental footprint, with a rational management of natural resources and protection of biodiversity. At the same time it will promote the development of modern, sustainable infrastructures, the strengthening of organised patterns of zoning with clear environmental specifications, and the speeding up of transparent and predictable permit procedures. Special emphasis is given to the balanced distribution of tourist activity with the aim of reducing pressures in saturated areas and bringing forward new, alternative and thematic destinations.
Categorisation of areas Among the objects of the new planning framework, it was announced, are the better organisation and management of tourist destinations, especially in areas which are under increased pressure, the formulation of clearer zoning regulations for tourist activities and more effective coordination of all the levels of spatial and urban planning. The areas are categorised according to the spatial requirements of tourist activity.
The basic categorisation is effected according to the intensity of the tourist phenomenon, chiefly taking account of the number of tourist beds in relation to the area and the permanent population of each Municipal Unit. On the basis of these criteria, the areas are divided into five categories: 1) Controlled Development Areas, 2) Developed Areas, 3) Developing Areas, 4) Early Development Areas and 5) Areas of Special Development Assistance.
Partial zoning map of Greece showing the different categories for tourist development. The categories are: red – category 1; dark blue – category 2; light blue – category 3; yellow – category 4; pale yellow – category 5.The two category 1 areas in Crete are the Municipal Unit of Nea Kydonia in Chania and the area of Hersonissos in Heraklion.
Crete At the same time, more specific categorisation is envisaged for the island areas. The islands – including Crete and Evia – are categorised additionally on the basis of their area into three distinct groups, with different directions and limits to development for each group. Crete is treated on a different basis from the other islands, because of its size, population and its overall developmental and touristic profile.
Development categories for the Municipal Units of Chania.
The island’s Municipal Units fall normally into the basic categories 1 to 5, according to the intensity of touristic development and the pressures they are under, which means that different areas of Crete will be subject to different building limits, different development limits and a different degree of restrictions, according to their perceived capacity and the level of overcrowding in each area. On the published map, the Municipal Unit of Nea Kydonia and the area of Hersonnissos in Heraklion are coloured red, denoting Category 1 areas.
Buildable limits Strict buildable limits are also being introduced for new tourist developments, the minimum plot sizes for each category being as follows: — 16 stremmata in category 1 areas, — 12 stremmata in category 2 areas, — 8 stremmata in areas 3 to 5.
Number of beds For the first time in such a clear manner, the new Special Planning Framework introduces limits to the number of tourist beds in new developments, chiefly on the islands and in areas of increased touristic pressure. Thus building is now linked to the capacity of each destination.
Specifically the plan makes the following provisions. — Category 1 (Controlled Development) areas, which are areas of exceptionally high touristic load, environmental sensitivity and overcrowding. In these areas there is a limit of 100 beds for new tourist developments on the islands. At the same time the minimum area on which building is allowed is increased to 16 stremmata (16,000 sq m) — Category 2 (Developed) areas, which are areas with strong touristic development but under less pressure than category 1. A maximum of 350 beds is allowed, while the minimum buildable area is set at 12 stremmata. — Categories 3 to 5, i.e. Developing Areas, Early Development Areas and Areas of Special Development Assistance. Here the maximum number of beds follows the standard limit across the board, however development is subject to special conditions on capacity and spatial organisation, The minimum buildable area is 8 stremmata.
Coastal zone The new planning framework also sets strict rules for the coastal zone. New building and landscaping is completely forbidden in the zone from 0 to 25 metres from the shoreline. The only exceptions are for works of access for the disabled and for ambulances, and works which are provided for in the legislation for beaches and the seashore. (Haniotika Nea, 12/05/26)
The full Greek text of the draft plan can be found here: https://ypen.gov.gr
Record arrivals, a high level of satisfaction but clear weaknesses in infrastructure make up the picture of the 2025 tourist season in Western Crete according to research carried out by the Tourism Observatory for West Crete and coordinated by the Department of Economics and Management of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH). The published text of the research makes the following points.
The need for re-evaluation of the touristic identity – shift towards a sustainable tourist destination While the anticipation of international developments creates a climate of instability and uncertainty, according to the results of the tourism research carried out in 2025 it appears that the tourist experience in Western Crete is assessed overall at an exceptionally positive level, a fact confirmed by the destination’s established position as a strong and attractive tourist product. The research shows that visitors form a positive impression both of the area’s natural characteristics and of basic elements of the services provided, making an essential contribution to their overall satisfaction.
In particular, the highest performances are recorded in relation to the human element and the quality of the lived experience. Friendliness and hospitality, catering, Cretan gastronomy, café and refreshment services, as well as the sense of security constitute the basic elements contributing to a positive assessment of the destination.
This finding is especially important as it underlines the fact that the competitiveness of Western Crete is not based exclusively on its natural assets but also on the quality of human interaction and the preservation of an authentic experience of hospitality. At the same time, the high assessment of the cleanliness of beaches and accommodation responds to basic demands for comfort, safety and quality. The participation of the Region of Crete in international exhibitions and similar activities throughout the year in Crete contribute decisively to improving the image of the destination.
Despite the positive overall assessment, the research also shows certain weaknesses which are chiefly related to the destination’s operational dimension. The lowest performances are found in the road network, road signs, traffic, provision of parking, and infrastructure for bicycles. These results show that the most significant difficulties encountered by visitors concern not so much the core of the tourist experience as issues of practical organisation, accessibility and mobility.
Also the profligate use of plastic, chiefly of plastic bottles, suggests the need for correct handling practices, so as to reduce the carbon impact on the environment.
The basic challenge for improving the competitiveness of Western Crete, therefore, lies in the upgrading of infrastructure and the sustainable management of the destination.
It should be noted that the level of displeasure with the services and infrastructure in question has been reduced by comparison with the previous year, a consequence of the efforts which the Municipality of Chania has expended, where despite the inconvenience which may be caused to visitors by the continuous works being undertaken, they are considered indispensable for the smooth running of the city.
According to the opinions mainly of repeat visitors, they are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Central Municipal Market of Chania, where they will be able to sample and buy local products. There are also very positive comments about the widening of sidewalks and the creation of new car parks on the perimeter so as to reduce congestion in the city centre, as well as the the different cultural events such as the Strata which have attracted their attention.
At the same time the thematic breakdown of the visitors’ comments confirms this double picture. On the one hand, the positive reports are chiefly focused on the beaches, on the natural environment, gastronomy, authenticity and hospitality. On the other, the negative comments relate to a large extent to the roads, transport, the organisation of amenities, cleanliness in some places, prices and congestion.
The phenomenon of congestion may have contributed to the very small downturn in positive comments about services (for the second consecutive tourist season), showing that the immediacy and friendliness of communication which characterised these tourist services is under pressure. In addition, also for the 2025 tourist season, the increased pressure from the great influx of visitors has resulted in the flexibility of tourist services approaching their limit, a fact which may lead to higher prices, a reduction in service quality and overloading of infrastructure,
From this it may be concluded that Western Crete possesses a strong and attractive basic tourist product, which however needs interventions at the operational level, so as to make the destination more attractive, continuing to offer a high quality of services,
Foreign tourist arrivals at Chania airport The data from Fraport Greece for Chania airport for the year 2025 show a record number of 1,586,000 arrivals, an increase of 4% over 2024, where there were 1,524,000 arrivals. This year’s increase is chiefly due to non-Scandinavians, who showed a increase of 6.5%, while arrivals by Scandinavians showed a marginal reduction. Among the Scandinavians, the biggest increase was shown by the Danes with 3%, the Norwegians stayed around the same level, while the Swedes and Finns showed a reduction of 3%. Generally we observe that the Scandinavians are stabilising around 35% of total arrivals following the Covid period, whereas prior to that they had been established at around 50%.
This does not mean that the Scandinavians are reducing in numbers but that non-Scandinavian arrivals are increasing at a much faster rate. Among the main non-Scandinavian nationalities, the Germans, British and Poles are those which are showing the most significant increase at 8%, 6% and 5% respectively. The British and Germans remain the leaders in overall arrivals at 18% and 13% of the total respectively, while the Poles are in 4th place at 10%.
Analysis of visits As with the previous year a large number of the foreign arrivals in Western Crete were repeat visitors, with 45% having visited the area at least once in previous years. Of these repeat visitors, 45.4% did not notice any significant change, an appreciably higher number than in the previous year. Of those who did notice some change, 4 out of 10 mentioned increased prices and the higher cost of services, while 15% thought that the city’s environment and the quality of services had changed for the better, while 7% thought that the attitude of locals had improved.
The tourists’ main reasons for visiting West Crete remained the beaches (65%), the quality of accommodation (48%), peace and quiet (44%), and the beauty of the landscape and the countryside (41%). These were followed by Cretan gastronomy (39%) and the friendliness and hospitality of the locals (36%), an increase of 5% on the previous year, constituting a very strong incentive for choosing the area as their final destination.
In sum, the analysis shows that the touristic model of Western Crete remains chiefly oriented towards the sea and the holiday experience, while alternative activities function chiefly as an add-on rather than a chief motive for the visit.
Analysis of visitor stays The average length of stay for foreign visitors remained the same as for the previous year at 9 nights, with 6 out of 10 staying for 7-10 days,
As regards the accompaniment of visitors, a 10% increase was observed in those coming on holiday with their spouses, an amount transferred from those who preferred family holidays with children.
One in ten tourists chose to come on holiday with friends, an equal amount coming with relatives or another family, while 1.7% chose to holiday alone.
With regard to the type of accommodation and holiday package preferred, half of foreign visitors did not have any package, 1 in 5 preferred bed and breakfast, only 17% chose all inclusive, while 13% chose half board.
Hotels remained the accommodation of preference, chosen by more than 6 out of 10 tourists, while 2 out of 3 preferred luxury 4- and 5-star accommodation. At 16% the number of visitors choosing Airbnb-type accommodation had slightly increased over the previous year, while those choosing to rent apartments or rooms were 13%, and 5% chose to rent a villa.
Eighty-four per cent of tourists rated their accommodation as very good or excellent, 13% as middling, and just 2% as poor or bad.
Economic profile of visitors The average income of visitors was high at €75,000, while 3 out of 10 reported an annual family income of over €100,000.
There was a slight decline over the previous year in visitors’ average expenditure, not including tickets and accommodation, with the highest levels of expenditure being reduced but those between €750 and €1,250 being increased.
As regards the categories of expenditure, foreign tourists regardless of their origin spent most on restaurants, followed by transport and then purchases of products. The amounts vary within the confidence intervals of the previous tourist season without the slightest sign of an increase.
The biggest expenditure on restaurants, as before, was incurred by visitors from the US/Canada/Australia, who nevertheless showed a significant decline over previous years. There was a small decline in the expenditure of other categories of country, with the exception of the Scandinavians who spent more.
Visitor attractions With regard to the places chosen to visit, beaches including Elafonisi, Balos and Falassarna remained the most popular.
However, a significant number of tourists visited monasteries and churches, hiking trails, museums and archaeological sites, chiefly Knossos. At the same time it should be noted that in 2025 as before 1 in 3 visitors avoided visiting places which were far from where they were staying.
Degree of satisfaction with services offered and natural features of Western Crete The average score in this category was 88%, demonstrating a very high overall degree of satisfaction. Consequently it can be maintained that the competitive advantage of Crete is based chiefly on its hospitality, gastronomic identity and the overall quality of the touristic experience.
With regard to other services offered, 78% were satisfied with ancient monuments and support services, 3 out of 4 with taxi services, around 7 out of 10 with the general cleanliness and punctuality of public transport, while 65% were satisfied with their visits to museums. The average degree of satisfaction for these services was 73%, demonstrating that the services are adequate but there is room for improvement to make the destination more competitive.
The foreign tourists continued to express their dissatisfaction with the poor state of the road network and traffic signs. Also, with greater numbers of tourist arrivals than ever before, there was strong dissatisfaction with traffic congestion and the lack of available parking spaces especially in the city of Chania, as well as the provision of cycle lanes which only 20% described as adequate.
Thus we can conclude that the greatest weakness of the Nomos of Chania as a destination is the inadequacy of infrastructure and the problems created by ever-increasing pressure of tourist numbers.
Sustainability of the tourist destination Regarding visitors’ opinions as to the sustainability of the destination, 4 out of 10 tourists had a positive opinion – a similar quantity to the previous year – while there was a small transition from those who agreed absolutely to those who simply agreed. On the other hand, only 14% stated that tourism in Crete has not been developed in a sustainable fashion.
With regard to tourists’ views of the extent to which the local inhabitants care for the environment, 55% of them expressed a positive opinion – a slightly larger proportion compared to the previous year – while 12% of visitors recorded negative comments.
Overall assessment of visit The Net Promoter Score (NPS) of tourists in Crete for 2025 was +46.9, a value considered exceptionally high and indicating an overall very positive experience of the destination. This indicator shows that visitors were not only satisfied by their visit, but to a significant extent were also inclined to recommend the island to others, a fact which is important for the brand name and the competitiveness of Crete.
Specifically, 51.4% of visitors had a positive score. This means that more than half of tourists had such a good experience that they would function as “ambassadors” for the destination.
At the same time, 44.1% were neutral, a fairly high figure which shows that almost half of visitors had a good or satisfactory experience, without however reaching the level of strong enthusiasm.
This is a very important finding: while the general picture is positive, there is a substantial margin for improvement which would bring this large category towards the positive camp. In other words, Crete does not have a major problem with dissatisfaction but has the challenge of upgrading the visitor experience from “good” to “excellent”.
The negative assessments totalled only 4.5%, a very low figure,
In addition, 51.5% of tourists declared that they would visit the region during the winter period if there were direct connections from their city, which demonstrates the destination’s potentiality during the winter season.
The competition Crete scores highly on the service/cost ratio by comparison with competitive destinations, with 5 out of 10 tourists declaring that Crete is the best destination and is not comparable with any other. Of the remainder, 1 in 3 consider Spain, Albania and Turkey the destinations with the best service/cost ratio, 1 in 4 Italy and 1 in 5 Croatia. As regards other destinations, almost 1 in 10 consider Slovenia, Egypt and Morocco competitive countries on the service/cost ratio.
Analysis of visitor comments It should be made clear that these tourist scores do not have the same weight as the assessments made in answer to direct questions about Western Crete, which rate the area’s touristic product at a very high level. They do however give us the opportunity to study even individual cases which may diverge from the central analysis. This helps to provide a holistic assessment of the tourist experience.
Altogether it transpires that while the basic characteristics of the destination are assessed positively by all markets, the differences lie chiefly in the manner in which visitors perceive and assess the quality of their experience.
Most of the negative comments or complaints are focused on bad driving behaviour, the poor state of the road network and the increased traffic. There was also emphasis on the lack of parking spaces, the large amounts of rubbish, the improvident use of plastic and overcrowding. The phenomenon of tourist congestion, as in previous years, was one of the concerning negative observations. The crush of tourists at iconic locations is an enemy of the authentic experience, one of the basic criteria for choosing Western Crete by more and more visitors.
The research team The research and analysis were carried out by the Tourism Observatory for West Crete and coordinated by the Department of Finance and Management of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH), in collaboration with the Financial Management Systems Laboratory of the Technical University of Crete, the Department of Management Science & Technology of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (ELMEPA) and members of the Department of Economics of the University of Crete. The research was funded by the Region of Crete. Continuous support from Fraport Greece and the personnel of Chania Airport contributed to the smooth progress of the research.
Composition and analysis team Dr Georgios Baourakis, Director of MAICH Pericles Drakos, Laboratory Teaching Staff, Department of Economics of the University of Crete Georgios Angelakis, Researcher, Department of Economics and Management, MAICH, Doctoral candidate, Department of Management Science & Technology, ELMEPA Professor Konstantinos Zopounidis, Director, Financial Management Systems Laboratory, Technical University of Crete, Audencia Business School, France.
Scientific support team Dr Kyriakos Kostoglou, Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Digital Governance, Region of Crete Associate Professor Christos Lemonakis, Director, Administrative Economics and Decision Systems Laboratory, Department of Management Science and Technology, ELMEPA Associate Professor Giorgos Atsalakis, School of Production Management and Engineering, Technical University of Crete Professor Chrysovalantis Gaganis, Department of Economics, University of Crete Associate Professor Andreas Panagopoulos, Department of Economics, University of Crete Dr Vanessa Simandiraki, Executive Director, ELMEPA (Haniotika Nea, 01/05/26)
The attraction of visitors from India could help to extend the tourist season in Crete, it was suggested at a conference entitled “Chania-India: building bridges of touristic cooperation”, held on Thursday 19th March at the Chania Hotel and organised by the Hellenic-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Economy and the Hoteliers’ Union of the Nomos of Chania.
Crete, one of the five basic pillars of Greek tourism, continues to attract millions of foreign visitors, maintaining a strong position in the Greek tourist industry. However, the picture which emerges from the annual research carried out by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE) for the year 2024 is a complex one: in many of the basic markets arrivals are on the increase, but total incomes are reducing, a function of changes in the length of stay, in customer profiles and pricing policies.
Passenger traffic at Chania airport has increased by 8.4 per cent over last year in 2024, with the most foreign visitors during the tourist period coming from the UK – more than 100,000 British visitors passed through Daskalogiannis Airport in August. The increase in passenger traffic is reflected in figures released last week by Fraport Greece, which manages the airport.
The Municipality of Platanias is in the process of producing short promotional videos on each of the 51 communities which make up the Municipality, with the aim of highlighting separately the comparative advantages of each village, the natural beauty of the area and the activities which constitute its tourist product.
As the tourism season is peaking in Chania, so is the demand for hotel and restaurant staff. Although it is now past the end of June and most businesses have been operating for at least two months, there are visible gaps in staffing. Following a survey of want ads for staff by the Haniotika Nea, it would appear that the greatest demand from hotels and restaurants is for cooks, waiters, dishwashers and kitchen staff generally. Especially in hotels, there is an enormous demand for waiting staff and to a lesser extent for reception and maintenance personnel.
Greece is a major attraction for travellers from Australia, Canada and the US, with Greek destinations among the top 15 for people from those markets travelling overseas. For this reason, those markets are considered notably more promising than other remote markets such as China and India. As reported by APE-MPE, these were some of the conclusions of a study carried out by the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (INSETE) on “The profile of important markets for Greek tourism” outside Europe, and specifically the USA, Canada, China, India and Australia. In 2019 and 2023 these markets accounted for some 11 per cent of overall income from foreign tourism.
Tourism in Chania is getting off to a slow start according to travel companies, hoteliers and restaurateurs, with most visitors to date making last-minute bookings for low-cost packages. The situation is affecting most of the nomos as well as other parts of Crete, and is due to the financial crisis in Scandinavia, Central and Northern Europe resulting from a steep increase in the cost of living, and particularly energy.
There were calls for tourism to become an integral facet of EU policy, and for the creation of a European Tourism body at the 1st European Tourism Islands Convention which was held on Gran Canaria on 1st to 2nd December. A delegation from the Region of Crete were among those present.
According to a press release from the Cretan Regional Authority, the common position of the convention was that “tourism is a key sector of the economy of the European continent, which is a world leader in tourism, and to maintain this supremacy, tourism needs to be declared a Common Policy of the EU.”
At the same time, the Convention proposed “the creation of a European Tourism body, which would give priority to multinational strategic projects in European funding and would promote the funding of touristic projects, especially in support of the islands which are most afflicted by the crisis.”
The Region of Crete’s delegation comprised Kyriakos Kostoglou, Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Electronic Government; Eirini Dimou, President of the Department of Business Administration and Tourism of the Hellenic Mediterranean University; and Alexandros Angelopoulos, CEO of Aldemar Resorts and vice-president of the Heraklion Hoteliers Union.
Cretan Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Electronic Government Kyriakos Kostoglou addresses the 1st European Tourism Islands Convention on Gran Canaria, Friday 2nd December.Photo: www.crete.gov.gr
Representing Crete, Mr Kostoglou, said: “By itself, a convention where you see representatives from the Balearics with 16 million visitors, but also the Azores and Madeira and the other island powers of Europe and their proposals, is of tremendous interest.
“In addition, the aims and the final declaration of the convention express the anxiety that the consequences of pandemics, war and chiefly climate change will come more quickly and more aggressively to the islands and for that reason we need to move forward more quickly with a common European Tourism Policy. We have come out wiser from this conference and we propose that the next meeting should take place in Crete in 2023.”
The Convention committed itself to drawing up a Strategic Plan for 2023, which would place the European Islands at at the top of the EU’s agenda in the urgent fight against climate change, through a new common European Tourism Policy and a European Tourist Service, setting the date for a new Islands Convention in October of next year.
The participants
In addition to Crete, representatives from Sardinia, Gozo, Cyprus, the Canaries and the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Martinique, Guadalupe and Reunion, Madeira and the Azores and the French Guiana region, were present.
