Crete Tourism Observatory emerged after consultation between the regional Authority of Crete (department of Tourism) and the Hellenic Mediterranean University (department of Business Administration and Tourism, and the department’s Tourism and Entrepreneurship Laboratory). The need and the impetus for the creation of a tourism observatory in the Region of Crete that will coordinate and improve the tourism product of the island has been identified and prioritised in previous regional strategic plans. More specifically, the priorities of the Regional Authority considered the need for greater cooperation and coordination between private and public tourism stakeholders on the island. At the same time, the interest of the Regional Authority on expanding the economic footprint of the tourism industry on the island without compromising the environment (natural and built) and natives’ well-being has been a non – negotiable condition.
Taking advantage of Crete’s geostrategic location and its perennial emergence as one of the most popular tourist destination across the Mediterranean basin, Crete Tourism Observatory can formulate the following vision statement:
Crete Tourism Observatory to become the most modern Tourism Observatory in the south-eastern Mediterranean, which through the cross-sectoral cooperation of public and private tourism stakeholders, will develop new models for monitoring the tourism phenomenon and will contribute to the creation of a sustainable tourism environment for the future generations of Crete and its visitors.
In other words, Crete Tourism Observatory’s vision is to emerge as a strategic participant and mediator in the decision-making process for agencies, businesses, organizations and professional associations active in the tourism and hospitality industry in Crete. Through the realization of this vision, Crete Tourism Observatory strives to provide specialized information on future developments and changes shaping the tourism industry in Crete and the Mediterranean area, and help professionals and those active in the field to plan effective policies and business actions.
In complete agreement with its strategic vision, the Crete Tourism Observatory’s mission statement can be formulated as follows:
To formulate, manage and communicate reliable and continuous procedures for gathering, acquiring and analyzing data related to the tourism activity on the island, for the benefit of both local residents and visitors on the island of Crete. The mission statement of the Crete Tourism Observatory puts people at the centre, whether a local resident, a digital nomad, a professional working in the tourism industry, or a visitor to Crete.
In practice, the main purpose of the Crete Tourism Observatory is to best serve the regional tourism and hospitality industry, via an accurate, holistic and scientifically sound documentation of the tourism phenomenon in Crete. Ultimately, recording and measuring of this complex economic activity will allow for the evolution of the tourism experience offered to guests in Crete, and serve the needs of the local population. Given the unprecedented structural transformations taking place in the tourism industry (the pandemic, technological development, environmental and economic sustainability), Crete Tourism Observatory aims to support and guard the regional tourism industry by providing reliable and comprehensive information about the evolution of the tourism phenomenon in Crete.
