Thesis title: “The development of community-based ecotourism - lumes

goals of the discussed plan for ecotourism development. Finally, educating the localresidents on issues concerning ecotourism and tourism sustainability in general is oneof the most essential targets within the scope of this plan (WWF-Greece, 2000).The plan for ecotourism development in Zagori is based upon a number ofconcrete proposals. The first proposal refers to the creation of two “ecotourism poles”in the villages of Papigo and Kato Pedina respectively. These will constitute thecentral points of the ecotourism development, i.e. the core where most of thenecessary infrastructure for ecotourism will be developed. Within these two poles,most of the ecotourism planning and action will take place. The selection of thevillages Papigo and Kato Pedina as “ecotourism poles” is not random. Morespecifically, Papigo, despite being quite isolated from the other villages, is the mostpopular tourism destination in Zagori and already well developed in terms of tourisminfrastructure. Moreover, the existence of the local WWF office makes it veryimportant as a centre for providing information and monitoring tourism in the wholearea. Finally, this particular village is located within the borders of the Vikos – AoosNational Park and even inside the zone of highest protection. On the other hand, thevillage of Kato Pedina is located outside the borders of the National Park, but only 3km. away from the Park’s core zone. This makes it a crucial point for monitoring thevisitor flow to the National Park. In addition, the village of Kato Pedina is, despite itsstrategic location, not very developed yet in terms of tourism infrastructure, whichmakes it appropriate for developing alternative patterns of tourism such asecotourism. Finally, this specific village has already some experience with certainkinds of small-scale activities such as farming and handcrafting, thus it could becomean efficient starting point for launching a network of local production.The second action of the WWF plan for ecotourism development in Zagoriproposes the creation of three “ecotourism chambers” in three other villages of Zagori(in particular Kapessovo, Kipi and Negades), with the prospect of incorporatinganother two in the near future. The role of these particular villages is complementaryto the role of the two “ecotourism poles” discussed previously and it mainly includesactivities such as guided ecotourism tours and other activities of special ecologicaland cultural interest. The establishment of the “ecotourism chambers” will also helpdiffuse the actions planned at the “ecotourism poles”. This will contribute to thecreation of an extended ecotourism network within the area that aims at attractingvisitors during a period of six months per year at least.The third part of the WWF plan suggests the establishment of a “network oflocal production” in the area of Zagori, which has three components: the producers,the products and the visitors/buyers. The proposed network will be developed byorganizing and marketing the first two components, namely the local producers andproducts. As far as the local producers are concerned, a network of cooperationamong professional producers, small-scale handicraftsmen and traditional foodproducers will be developed. Special care will be taken to incorporate local womencooperatives, as well as young farmers and stock breeders in this network. Thecreation of the suggested network aims mainly at the enhancement of all types of localproduction and at the wider recognition of local products as a means of reinforcing theproducers’ income. This can be achieved through a series of actions, for instancelaunching new ways of marketing for local products, setting up a common vendingpoint, as well as organizing open fairs and exhibitions.The fourth part of the plan for ecotourism development in Zagori that WWFhas proposed contains a variety of actions that should be undertaken at a later phase.In particular, the main actions suggested in this part refer to the promotion of further29