MUNICIPALITY OF GREVENA

The aim of this partnership is to culturally and economically strengthen some local communities of the mountainous massif that are of tourist interest, but due to the distance from the city of Grevena and the absence of tourist infrastructure, they do not stand out as much as they could

The Action concerns the residents of the village of Dotsiko, the neighboring villages, the prefecture of Grevena, as well as the visitors of the mountain massif. In addition, due to the particularity of the landscape and the settlement, it is also suitable for all kinds of artists for cultural events (in the past this particular village has served as a natural setting for the filming of Th. Angelopoulos' film "Alexander the Great")

The Doctiko River Party 2019 lasted only one day (August 3).

The Municipality of Grevena contacted the president of the Local Community and a member of the Local Association and they discussed their joint plan. In particular, the proposal for this year was to put a lot of emphasis on the most important advantage of this village, which is the passage of the river through the settlement and the existence of a single-arched stone bridge from 1804 to connect the districts of the village.

So they agreed there to give the weight of the events and to transfer part of them to the shallowest part of the river and also to the riverside area that has already been formed.

Local Community of Dotsikos

Educational Association of Dotsikiots "I Skourtzia"

The action was based on the purely voluntary contribution of the members of the "Skourtzia" association, on the non-profit participation of the Grevena Municipal Conservatory and other local artists.

The technical part of the event was undertaken jointly by the employees of the Municipality, members of the Association and residents of the village.

The action took place in the central square of the village and part of it in the river.

The immediate results for the local community have been an increase in village visitation and commercial activity, however the aim is the future exploitation of this tourism development model which is more friendly to remote mountain areas with intermittent habitation (Dotsiko has around 20 permanent residents throughout the year one during the summer months the inhabitants reach 100) and scattered throughout the year tourist traffic.

The benefits that will arise for the organizations involved are the advertising and tourism promotion of the area, which in recent years seems to be rising in the preferences of travelers to Grevena. Most of the mountain villages of Grevena show a dramatic decrease in the number of their inhabitants, while some of them, like Dotsiko, are inhabited mainly in the summer months. In Dotsiko, an honorable effort is made to maintain a minimum of benefits, such as a children's library, cultural events, etc. in order to employ even the smallest members.

The organization of a small-scale river party inside the settlement, next to the bridge and under the plane trees of the central square, aspires to make the village a pole of attraction for alternative tourists who want to combine mountain adventure with their cultural revitalization. In the future, perhaps this is how the conditions for the creation of tourist infrastructures (hostels, information centers, recreation areas) will be shaped that will attract the people of the region for investments and will promote the tourist vision for Grevena which is inextricably linked to the natural environment, the cultural tradition (bridges, churches) and fine culinary products (mushrooms, honey, cheeses and meats). A further consequence of this will be the strengthening of the local market and the traditional crafts of the region.