Awarding of the Bike Friendly Destination Label to the Municipality of Aristotelis

The certification of the Municipality of Aristotelis as a bike-friendly destination was achieved in February 2020, granting Eastern Halkidiki the title of the first Greek tourist region friendly to cycling and cyclists. The label was awarded by Ms. Vicky Karantzavelou, Public Relations Manager of NATTOUR, during an event held on Sunday, October 4th, in Ierissos.

The Mayor of Aristotelis, Mr. Stelios Valianos, presented the plan for the expansion and completion of the Municipality’s Network of Hiking Trails, along with the existing infrastructure completed the previous year, to the local tourism and municipal community at a special event. The Mayor announced that the network would be completed by April 2021 and outlined the promotional plan specifically designed for trekking, which will target specific tourism markets in the coming year. Special mention was made of the creation of the electronic publication “#Trekking: Life is an adventure,” which serves as a promotional tool for the Municipality of Aristotelis’ 100 km long hiking trail network.

During the same event, the Municipality officially received the Bike Friendly certification, which had been awarded in February 2020, marking Eastern Halkidiki as the first Greek region to receive this cycling-friendly tourism distinction.

The presentation took place in the courtyard of the newly constructed Mount Athos Resort in Ierissos, where the view of the Pangaio Mountains and the Akanthios Gulf, surrounded by the green arms of Mount Aristotelis and Mount Athos, offers a historical reference point for the entire Municipality of Aristotelis.

The next promotional stop, dedicated to the cultural hiking tours of Eastern Halkidiki, will be in London, where at the end of November, a presentation will be held focusing on the theme of Alexis Zorbas and the tourism pillars that revolve around it.

Additionally, as the “Aristotelian Walk” is the first and most successful hiking trail in the area, the Municipality, in collaboration with Deutscher Wanderverband Service GmbH, organized a two-day training seminar to certify the trail and include it on the global map of certified trails. This ensures safety and organization for hikers, automatically enhancing the quality and future potential of the trail. During the workshop, a 12-member team of residents familiar with hiking was trained and certified to prepare selected sections of the trail for evaluation.

The goal is to connect the “Aristotelian Walk” with the “Paths of Alexis Zorbas” and the “Fir Route” to form a continuous 50 km trail. The overall productivity of the network was demonstrated during the trekking trip (October 1–5, 2020), co-organized by the Municipality of Aristotelis and the Greek National Tourism Organization.

During the trip, trekking specialists from Germany and Poland explored parts of almost all hiking tours in Eastern Halkidiki, from Mount Holomontas to Mount Aristotelis and Mount Athos.