The Municipality of Ayia Napa in Rethymno for the project "Accessible Nature and Culture - Sustainable Tourism/ In-Heritage"

The 4th Technical Meeting for the "Accessible Nature and Culture - Sustainable Tourism/In-Heritage" project, in which the Municipalities of Agia Napa and Sotiras participate, has been concluded with great success in Rethymnon, Crete

For the creation of more infrastructure, which will upgrade the quality of life and will benefit people with reduced mobility who would like to visit and enjoy various points of reference, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Mr. Christos Zannettou, said during a press conference, in which presented the results of the two-day 4th technical meeting of the "Accessible Nature and Culture - Sustainable Tourism/ In-Heritage" project, which was recently held in the Municipality of Rethymnon, and for the implementation of which the Cretan Municipality, the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities from part of Greece and the Municipality of Ayia Napa with the Municipality of Sotiras, on behalf of the Cypriot side.

After welcoming the long-standing cooperation between the Municipalities of Ayia Napa and Rethymno, which has strengthened over the years, against the chain crises, economic and pandemic, Mr. Zannettou expressed the hope that through the new cross-border plan 2021-2027, the two Municipalities to be able to claim and implement even more projects that will serve the wider public and the citizens of the two Municipalities.

"It's a collaboration," he added, "which puts Ayia Napa on a global tourist map and on a new basis. I believe, he continued, "that the creation of a network of accessible cities through these infrastructures is certainly what is required today in the local society, a society in which we have an obligation to support every human and social work to serve the whole."

He also expressed his confidence that through this cooperation, the exchange of opinions, know-how, expertise, knowledge, will help the Municipalities to develop, not only in this area, that is, in the creation of the appropriate infrastructure that will allow cities to become accessible for all, but at the same time the cultural value and culture of Greece and Cyprus will be highlighted.

Presenting the events in Ayia Napa, he said that through these actions the infrastructure and the surrounding area will be upgraded and created, which will be accessible in all respects, such as the Medieval Monastery, the Municipal Museum "Sea", the various beach infrastructures.

"We have installed the first Pan-Cypriot Visually Impaired Guidance System at Landa Beach in Ayia Napa which was a huge success last summer, with people who have had the need to visit the beach and swim in the sea in recent years years and through this framework we continue to submit the ideas".

Finally, the Mayor of Ayia Napa Mr. Christos Zannettou expressed his heartfelt thanks to the President of ESAmeA and EDF Mr. Ioannis Vardakastanis for the long-term expertise he provides to the two Municipalities and to the Mayor of Rethymno Mr. Giorgos Marinakis and his colleagues for the impeccable cooperation and for the warm hospitality.

Presenting the actions of his own city, the Mayor of Rethymno, Mr. Giorgos Marinakis, pointed out the fact that when a city is friendly and accessible to people with disabilities, it is even friendlier and better for those who do not have such problems."

"The value of this program" he added is "that we two cities are doing infrastructure projects but the strategy of ESAmeA is to open roads and give manuals, information and platforms for the overall service of people with these problems" and invited the fellow citizens of becoming participants in this effort. "All together, society, businesses, disability movement, local government, regional government to work together to make people's lives better, our cities and monuments friendly, accessible."

For his part, the president of ESAmeA and EDF, Mr. Ioannis Vardakastanis, characterized the cooperation with the two municipalities as a partnership that lasts for years and which, as he said, has already paid off for both Rethymnon and Ayia Napa, but also for the policies for People with Disabilities, for accessible and inclusive cities and environments. "We have tried together", he noted, "the three bodies, the two twinned Municipalities and ESAmeA, to use the Greece-Cyprus cross-border program, over time, to create real results as well as specifications that can be used in other cases and in these Municipalities, but also in other Municipalities both in Greece and in Cyprus".

As is well known, the "Accessible Nature and Culture - Sustainable Tourism/ In-Heritage" project focuses on improving accessibility, highlighting and promoting natural and cultural spaces of the three participating municipalities, as well as developing common strategies and tools, in order to promote them as tourist destinations that meet the conditions of quality hospitality for all, including visitors.

The aim of the cross-border project in which the Municipalities of Rethymnon, Ayia Napa and Sotira participate is the continuous commitment to improving the quality of the tourist product, the temporal extension of the tourist season, the expansion and qualitative development of the share of the tourist market held by the three municipalities , engaging in an organized and systematic way to attract new visitors, with infrastructure and actions that respond to the needs of visitors who belong to sensitive social groups such as the Disabled, with mobility problems, our fellow citizens of the Third Age, etc.

The specific project is part of the Interreg VA Cooperation Program "Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020", has a total Budget of €1.200.810 and is co-financed by the European Union (ERDF) and by National Resources of Greece and Cyprus. The Municipality of Rethymnon as the lead partner, the Municipality of Agia Napa, the Municipality of Sotiras and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities participate in the partnership scheme.

On behalf of the Municipality of Agia Napa, in addition to the Mayor, the Technical Inspector of the Municipality Mr. Argyris Theofilos and Mr. Lambros Kaikitis, on behalf of the ERCI Company, which prepares the provision of project management services, also attended.