The Ecotours companies and national teams from Cyprus, Spain, France, Italy and Hungary attended the last study visit organised within the framework of the Ecotours project in Kozani (Western Macedonia), Greece in September 2024.

The key focus of the study visit was sustainable marketing & destination management in the frame of circular tourism. Tourism companies that are offering their services as tour operators, restaurants, adventure parks and hospitality organisations with emphasis on education and nature-based experiences had the chance to exchange experiences and best practices with each other and local companies of Western Macedonia.

The importance of preserving local traditions and local products has been demonstrated through the example of Etheleo natural cosmetics, the Kamkoutis vineyard and the example of Cooperative of Saffron. The latter consists of 1,000 members and has the exclusive right to collect, pack and distribute Kozani saffron. The founding of the Cooperative created a body that has the complete responsibility of collecting, processing, packing and distributing the product in order to ensure its quality and to avoid the adulteration that was done by the traders in the past, resulting in the degradation and negative image of the product.

The participants also had the chance to visit Kastoria, and Siatista - Unesco Global Geopark Grevena – Kozani, hosting an amazing geodiversity. All sites visited during the study trip contributed to a deeper understanding of how geodiversity, local products and local traditions can be used as driving forces and key elements of the touristic offerings of a region, and at the same time, contributing to an increased level of sustainability thereof.