Neither the African dust nor the sandstorm of last Wednesday stood in the way of the local authorities and businesses, who gathered at the Rethymno City Hall with one common goal: to highlight the sea turtle as a central pillar of the tourism industry. ARCHELON's event was an outstanding success, proving that environmental protection is a priority, regardless of the weather.

Mr. Konstantinos Gasparakis, Executive Tourism Advisor of the Municipality of Rethymno, opened the event by highlighting the close cooperation between the Municipality and ARCHELON. Mr. Manos Nikoloudakis, Head of the Department of Environment and Hydrology of the Regional Unit of Rethymno, linked the legislative protection of the turtle with the very survival of the tourism industry. The event was also attended by representatives of the Coast Guard, the president and members of the Rethymno Hoteliers Association and other businessmen in the area.

Key points of the events:

• Practical solutions: Danai Tsaparli, ARCHELON's Project Manager for Crete, presented the results of the 2025 activities and explained easy solutions that hotels can adopt to become more turtle-friendly.
• International air: Agni Syrogiannouli, ARCHELON's Sustainable Tourism Officer, explained how the Loggerhead sea turtle is an international comparative advantage for tourism entrepreneurs in Rethymno.
• Creating networking opportunities: The event brought together organizations and professionals before the start of the nesting season, with the aim of building support and relationships for the upcoming season.

The presentations were followed by questions and an exchange of views, while participants had the opportunity to get informational material. The event concluded with the scheduling of one-on-one meetings with those interested in participating in ARCHELON's new "Sustainable Tourism" initiative.

The discussion continued outside the City Hall, with Danae Tsaparli providing even more information on the upcoming turtle season and answering questions from the audience, in a full-length live interview with Mr. Nikoloudakis on Team FM radio.

The event was held with the support of the TUI Care Foundation as part of the project TUI Turtle Aid Greece (2023-2026) and confirmed once again the role of the loggerhead turtle as an ambassador for sustainable solutions in tourism.

Learn more about the Sustainable Tourism initiative.