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association of corfu travel agents

Types of Corfu Tourism

Apart from the standard types of leisure tourism, there are new types of tourism which have emerged, classified as alternative types of tourism. Corfu has slowly been opening up to a new audience and adapting in a new era of tourism while preserving all her cultural elements and her unique identity. These types include:
As people on earth are becoming more and more interested in important matters such as the climate change and want to protect the environment and the flora and fauna of this planet, a new kind of tourism has appeared under the name eco-tourism. Through eco-tourism, travelers can get informed about the environmental challenges that certain areas are facing and get more physical in the aspects of active vacations. Furthermore, Corfu has three designated areas which are protected by NATURA 2000, which the network of nature protected areas of the European Union.
The young generation wants to give back to the society in terms of volunteering. Through voluntourism, people get to travel and explore a new country and at the same time volunteer for a cause they believe in. Corfu animal shelters have opened their doors to travelers who want to assist in the daily chores of the shelters while exploring Corfu island.
Although Agrotourism is not a popular or well developed type of tourism in Greece yet, it is slowly starting to unveil and gain more and more fans. Corfu has a variety of olive mills and traditional places where one can witness the process of the production learn how to taste properly the olive oil and even learn how to cook the local food though cooking lessons. A subcategory to Agrotourism is the Wine Tourism. Corfu has vineyards which are open to the public for visits and wine tastings, too.
Coastal Tourism refers to all activities which take place on the coast or in a close proximity to the coast. They include sunbathing, swimming and water sports such as surfing. Maritime tourism refers to activities such as boating, yachting, sailing, kayaking etc. In Corfu, throughout the summer season different races and regattas take place. Corfu also has a variety of marinas with the biggest of them being the private Marina in Gouvia, which has a capacity of 1235 berths and offers all the necessary facilities to ensure a very comfortable stay.
It is well known that Greece features major archaeological sites which attract each year thousands of tourists. Corfu also has a variety of sites of archaeological significance such as Paleopolis (which was founded in the 8th century BC), the Tower of Nerantzicha (4th century) and the temple of Artemis (6th century) and Menecrates’ monument (6th century BC and it possesses the oldest archaic inscription of Greece). For those interested in museums, Corfu does offer a variety of them including the Archaeological museum, the Byzantine museum, the Asian Art museum, the Ioannis Kapodistrias museum, the Achilleion museum in the beautiful estate of Empress Elizabeth of Austria (Sisi), the museum of Banknotes and the Serbian museum.
Cultural tourism could be the main category under which agrotourism, voluntourism, eco-tourism and archaeological tourism could lie. It refers to the visitors who want to gain authentic and traditional experiences while exploring the culture of the place they are visiting. Activities of Cultural Tourism include visiting a museum, socializing with the locals, tasting the local products, eating local food, visiting festivals and in Greece more particularly the famous folklore festivals known as “panigiria”, exploring a traditional village and even learning the local language. Moreover, cultural tourism urges people to become more interested in the history and traditions of the place they are visiting while giving their holidays a deeper meaning.

Corfu hasmore than 170 orthodox churches and 17 monasteries, most of which are open to the public. The most famous church of all is the church of the island’s protector and keeper of the city – Saint Spyridon. Every year thousands of people come to Corfu to visit His Holy Relics which are kept in the Church.  Furthermore, 180 meters away the Metropolitan Church can be found where the Holy Relics of Agia Theodora are kept.
The majority of the island’s residents are Orthodox Christians while approximately the 5% of the population in Corfu are Catholics, originating from Malta, Italy and England. Corfu has three Catholic churches; the Catholic Cathedral of Saints James and Christopher (Duomo), the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin of Carmel Tenedos and the church of Holy Heart of Jesus. Furthermore, Corfu has a Catholic cemetery and very close, there is the Hebrew Cemetery. The island also features a Hebrew community in the old part of Corfu Town called “Evraiki” where the Synagogue is located, too.

More and more people are interested in sport activities during their trips, regardless of whether the sports activities are the main goal of traveling or not. Apart from the water sports, which are all over the island and extreme sports such a paragliding and mountain cycling, there are many pitches and courts for a variety of different sports. These sports include: football, basketball, handball, tennis and cricket. Throughout the year, different tournaments take place and teams come from all around the world. Under the category of Sports Tourism one could also place the Golf Tourism. The Corfu Golf Club has a beautiful 18-hole golf course in Ropa Valley, just 14 km from Corfu Town. Many different competitions and tournaments take place every year in a place ideal for golf lovers.

Greece is becoming more and more active in the conference tourism sector. In Corfu there are various conference centers in 5 star and 4 star hotels with all the necessities to ensure the success of the conferences. Combining a conference with the local culture is an ideal way for the attendees to have an unforgettable experience. Although Conference Tourism, like every form of Tourism, has been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain optimistic that it will recover during the next years and Corfu will be able to host a variety of conferences with great benefits to the organizers and the participants.

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