Santorini seeks year round tourism through local gastronomy and culture

The Aegean island of Santorini is executing a plan to boost winter tourist arrivals by promoting activities beyond its traditional sunsets over the caldera, Euronews reported. Local authorities and business leaders are turning to gastronomy, wine and cultural events to attract visitors throughout the entire year. [1]

The strategy comes after the island first took steps to regulate cruise ship tourism. Euronews reported that local hoteliers have complained over the past two years that their rooms were not filling up, despite Santorini being widely regarded as the most popular Greek island. [1]

Hoteliers attributed the drop in bookings to multiple factors following the COVID pandemic. Euronews reported that these issues included seismic activity on neighboring islands and regional geopolitical conflicts that affected overall travel patterns. [1]

Santorini features a distinctive volcanic landscape formed by a massive Late Bronze Age eruption around 1627 to 1600 BCE. The catastrophe buried the ancient settlement of Akrotiri under volcanic ash, preserving historical frescoes and early plumbing systems on the active tectonic site. [3]