New York Times: Kalymnos international model of development in climbing tourism

The case of Kalymnos is highlighted by the New York Times in a recent extensive article tribute on the subject of climbing tourism.

As mentioned in the article, “a typical example of development is Kalymnos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Since the introduction of climbing to the local economy in 1997, over 3,400 routes have been established, leading to an increase in visitors to the island. The result is that many services, including hotels, restaurants and also the provision of equipment, experience a special boom.”

It is worth mentioning that after processing and comparative analysis of air arrivals at all airports in the country, it appears that Kalymnos for the months of September and October 2022 has recorded the second largest percentage increase in air arrivals throughout Greece compared to 2021, by 99.8%.

“We started years ago the development of climbing as an alternative form of tourism with the aim of enriching the offered tourist product of the island, in order to contribute to curating the tourist season and to attract a new audience with special interests. The people of Kalymnos with the passion they possess support the project, creating a new identity for the island. Where others saw stones, we saw a new opportunity for development”, said the Mayor of Kalymnos, Mr. Dimitris Diakomichalis.

Source: APE-MEP