With an established and highly developed tourism product, Halkidiki is a region that has emphasized tourism development, while also maintaining a promising agricultural sector, mining industry and monuments of world interest.
Halkidiki has a sunny and warm climate, an extensive coastline (~550 km), the largest number of blue flag beaches in Greece, easy road accessibility from neighboring Balkan countries, Thessaloniki Airport “Macedonia” relatively close, an important number of luxury seaside hotels and resorts and a developed tourist accommodation potential, making it one of the emerging destinations for luxury tourism in Greece.
Its tourism, however, often has a low added value and strong seasonality.
The tourism product of Halkidiki also includes yachting experiences with 3 high-level marinas (awarded with the Blue Flag) on the west and east sides of Kassandra and on the west side of Sithonia and the prospect of new infrastructure development.
Halkidiki is also an attractive destination in terms of cultural and religious tourism, being the birthplace of the philosopher Aristotle, a personality with international fame and influence, while there are archaeological sites such as ancient Stageira, ancient Olynthos, the cave of Petralona, museums, monasteries etc.
Prominent is the monastic state of Mount Athos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is the largest and most important monastic state of Orthodox Christianity, one of the two most important religious and pilgrimage destinations for the ~300 million Orthodox, accessible only from men, with 20 monasteries (late Byzantine castle-states) in a unique natural landscape and an authentic, overwhelming atmosphere.
The region of Halkidiki also has a rich mineral wealth to show with the perennial mining and mining activity in Mantemochoria, Gerakini and Athytos, while in Kassandra there are also geothermal fields.
In the primary sector, Halkidiki has a large production of excellent quality olive oil and oils with PDO products and notable exports, while it also has developed fishing with favorable natural conditions for the creation of fish farming units.
The sustainability of the tourism product, accessibility, culture, quality agricultural production and gastronomy make up a strong development potential, shaping the next day for Halkidiki.
Dimitrios Diamantidis, journalist
