We have always been proud to offer low-carbon ways to travel. As part of our continued work to reduce and offset our carbon, we have put several different initiatives. One area of paramount importance in responsible travel in Greece is forging connections with local communities. Across the world we ensure the impact of our sailing holidays are beneficial to local communities, bringing vital income to remote areas, without putting a strain on the limited resources available.
Community Tourism in Greece with Zorba Cat
Operations Manager Naomi recently spent time sailing in Greece with Zorba Cat. Here, she experienced firsthand the development of community tourism and responsible travel in Greece put in place by our boats. Here is her account:
“After previously sailing onboard the monohull Zorba, I was invited by Aga and Greg to visit their new catamaran Zorba Cat and experience the development of their community tourism connections. Two years ago I remember sitting in a balmy waterfront taverna, drinking local wine and fresh seafood, admiring their vision and tenacity to create a charter business that showed a different side of Greece. The rustic beauty that had become so popularised by films and TV led to an overabundance of tourists in some villages. You only have to look at the latest headlines in Santorini to see the negative effects of over-tourism! Aga and Greg had a different vision, to support a more sustainable form of tourism and responsible travel in Greece. This meant keeping things simple and retaining the wealth in the local villages.”
Forging local connections
Aga and Greg have spent many years forging close bonds with local businesses, food producers, and generations-long taverna owners. For a couple living most of the year at sea, the connections they have created are as close to family as you can get. Their goal has always been to share these connections with guests. In doing so, they connected locals with small groups who were also in favour of shunning the flotilla charters, busy cruise liners and Instagram hotspots.
This sense of community-led tourism and responsible travel in Greece extends across the running of the boat, from provisioning to excursions. The boat shops in the small local supermarket. They buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the farmer’s stalls on the waterfront. Sometimes they’ll radio in a local fishing boat to come alongside to buy fresh fish. All maintenance of the boat is through local tradespeople, whether it’s cleaning staff on changeover days, or over-wintering in local shipyards. All these small changes may increase the overhead and provide more challenges than the alternative, but the effects on the local community and environment are worth it for both our guests and our crews!
An authentic Greek experience
The local connections forged also provide ample opportunities for guests to experience the most authentic excursions ashore. Whilst visiting Zorba Cat, Aga was particularly proud to share another local connection she had been working on over the last season – a family-owned, third-generation vineyard in Methana. First, she started stocking their local wine onboard Zorba for guests. Over the season, the family began offering a vineyard tour, rustic, authentic, and in true Greek style.
In the purest form of community tourism, Aga brings guests for a beautiful seven-course tasting meal paired with local wine. The weather can be unpredictable, and the competition from imported wine in the local tavernas meant they struggled to compete. The family pushed forward, entering the wines into local competitions. It started picking up a few reputable awards, and the orders started coming in. It was just enough to keep it ticking, work the vineyard, and support their small family. Now that things are picking up, and with the support of Aga bringing guests on the vineyard tours, things are looking up for the family. They have a bit more money to invest and are hopeful of securing the vineyard’s future for their two children.
Sailing and responsible travel in Greece
Our sailing holidays in Greece are not just about joining a boat and soaking up the sunshine. They forge some beautifully symbiotic relationships between guests to boats, and boats to locals. They connect small family businesses outside of busy tourist hotspots and if managed respectfully, can provide a lifeline to them. Our voyages depend on the relationships our skippers spend time building over several years with local communities.
And so, yes, our sailing holidays in Greece are full of life: swimming, snorkelling, amazing food, sunshine relaxation, historical and cultural exploration, island hopping through beautiful islands, vineyard tours, and boutique shops. But the connection between our boats and local businesses in the sailing areas is vital, and one that we work hard to forge and, in turn, share with guests. Community tourism and responsible travel in Greece is something that is possible, and should be encouraged, and it is what brings those special little moments of magic that only a ‘local’ connection could provide.
