{"id":33928,"date":"2026-11-03T04:05:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T02:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/?p=33928"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:43:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T09:43:23","slug":"george-hatzimarkos-governor-of-the-south-aegean-region-greetings-from-v-i-greeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/george-hatzimarkos-governor-of-the-south-aegean-region-greetings-from-v-i-greeks\/","title":{"rendered":"GREETINGS FROM V.I.GREEKS: George Hatzimarkos Governor of the South Aegean Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

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THE NEW GREECE: Where Islands Lead the Way<\/strong><\/p>\n

Greece has always been a country of islands. Only now, perhaps, are we beginning to grasp what that truly means.<\/p>\n

In the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, geography shapes identity and distance builds character. The challenges of insularity, long seen as constraints, have become sources of creativity, resilience and change.<\/p>\n

These islands remain among the most sought-after in the world, admired for their landscapes, heritage, culture and distinctive way of life. Yet their appeal today reaches beyond the postcard. It lies in the experiences, ideas and stories waiting to be discovered across an archipelago that never stops evolving.<\/p>\n

We are moving from a tourism model centred on the beauty of place to one that values the experience of place: authentic encounters, living communities, nature, culture, food and the singular identity of each island.<\/p>\n

Gastronomy is at the heart of this identity. The food of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese is not only something to taste; it is a living expression of our landscape, our traditions and our people. That is why the South Aegean is pursuing the title of World Region of Gastronomy 2028, with an ambition that goes beyond promotion. We want to protect local food culture, support producers and their skills, connect generations, and make gastronomy a force for sustainable development and a richer visitor experience.<\/p>\n

Our islands are also becoming living laboratories for a more sustainable future. From clean mobility and renewable energy to the circular economy and new approaches to destination management, the region shows that sustainability strengthens tourism rather than limiting it, creating better places to live and more meaningful places to visit.<\/p>\n

Far from being outposts at the edge of Europe, Aegean islands are places where new ideas can be tested, shared and lived, and where tourism can become a form of soft power, allowing destinations to lead by example.<\/p>\n

The New Greece is not about replacing what makes us unique. It is about giving that uniqueness new relevance.<\/p>\n

The South Aegean will keep welcoming the world with the timeless beauty that made its islands famous, while boldly shaping the destinations they aspire to become.<\/p>\n

We are proud to belong to a Greece that is deeply rooted, confidently connected and always looking beyond its horizons.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 THE NEW GREECE: Where Islands Lead the Way Greece has always been a country of islands. Only now, perhaps, are we beginning to grasp what that truly means. In the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, geography shapes identity and distance builds character. The challenges of insularity, long seen as constraints, have become sources of creativity,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,125,120,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epikerotita-en","category-epikairotita-en","category-ellada-en","category-taxidia-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33928"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34387,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33928\/revisions\/34387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grtraveller.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}