Everything that happened at the Travel.gr Greece Talks conference – What Hatzidakis, Pierrakakis, Dimas and tourism professionals said

Ross Daly: The elemental is not simplistic

The euphony of Crete is fundamentally a euphony that is simple, but this is important due to the fact that the elemental is not simplistic. The elemental is thing other wholly — it is precise hard and is based connected precise delicate and delicate balances, and for that crushed it tin precise easy beryllium lost, said Ross Daly, instrumentalist and laminitis of the Labyrinth Musical Workshop.

“What we bash astatine the Labyrinth Musical Workshop—and we are not the lone ones, determination are others making these efforts arsenic well—is to cultivate this dialog betwixt cultures truthful that each 1 tin larn from the other, instrumentality from the other, and springiness to the other, with the purpose of enriching each idiosyncratic tradition,” helium said.

As helium explained, each portion representing the euphony of Crete could service arsenic an illustration of what the land genuinely is. Anyone who presents this euphony with some cognition and, supra all, emotion for it creates what helium believes to beryllium a precise convincing acquisition for the listener.

13/03/2026 16:10

The dependable of the place: How the euphony of Crete speaks to the world

15:30 – The dependable of the place: How the euphony of Crete speaks to the world
Ross Daly – Musician, laminitis of the Labyrinth Musical Workshop

13/03/2026 16:07

Katerina Xekalou: It’s intolerable for idiosyncratic to person tasted a amended Vidiano oregon Sideritis

For each dish, each olive lipid and each wine, my colleagues and I cognize everything astir them, said Katerina Xekalou, caput of AVLI AXTE.

“There is meaning successful it, determination is ethos, determination is simply a philosophy. Nothing successful beingness is easy—at slightest for maine thing has been easy. But erstwhile you enactment and strive for something… I beryllium to the procreation wherever results came done effort, not done an influencer,” she noted.

She besides referred to circumstantial choices that person been made.

“The vino lists of the restaurants and the edifice see much than 300 Greek labels, of which astatine slightest 120 are from Crete, and they incorporate only indigenous Greek varieties. No Chardonnay, nary Cabernet, nary Syrah, due to the fact that we cannot vie with those. Someone whitethorn person tasted a amended Chardonnay determination else. But it’s intolerable that idiosyncratic has tasted a amended Vidiano oregon a amended Sideritis.”

——————————————————————————

Greece Talks by Travel.gr opens a dialog astir Crete’s relation successful the caller era, focusing connected however the land makes a quality and shapes the future.

Travel.gr, the largest question media outlet successful Greece, successful collaboration with Proto Thema and with the enactment of the Region of Crete, is organizing the league “Greece Talks, Crete Forward: Experience, Culture & Connection.”

The league volition diagnostic Kostis Hatzidakis, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Christos Dimas, arsenic good arsenic influential figures from Greece and abroad, representing the fields of Tourism, Business, Economy, Culture, and Gastronomy.

Conference Speakers

10:00 – Arrival

10:30 – Opening & Welcome Remarks
Androniki Kolovou – Director, Travel.gr

10:40 – Crete: Making a Difference, Shaping the Future
Stavros Arnaoutakis – Regional Governor of Crete

10:50 – Tourism, Development, and the New Big Opportunity
Kyriakos Pierrakakis – Minister of National Economy and Finance, President of the Eurogroup
Fokion Karavias – Chief Executive Officer, Eurobank S.A.
Michalis Lempidakis – CEO, Plastika Kritis
Moderator: Antonis Sroiter

11:30 – Building Crete’s Tomorrow: Infrastructure that Changes the Map
Christos Dimas – Minister of Infrastructure and Transport
Pavlos Geroulanos – Member of Parliament (PASOK–KINAL), Parliamentary Spokesperson
Manousos Manousakis – President & CEO, ADMIE
Anastasios Aranitis – CEO, AKTOR Construction & AKTOR
Dinos Benroubi – Vice President & CEO, METKA ATE
Christos Panagiotopoulos – CEO, TERNA S.A.
Moderator: Giorgos Evgenidis

12:25 – Lunch Break

13:15 – Crete: Connecting the Destination with the World
Kostis Hatzidakis – Deputy Prime Minister
Mari Daskalantonaki – CEO, Grecotel
Ioannis Grylos – Founder & Chairman, IOGR Group (SKY express)
Kyriakos Mageiras – Executive Chairman, Attica Group
Andreas Taprantzis – CEO, AVIS Greece
Moderator: Babis Koutras

14:10 – The Experience successful a Global Tourism Brand
Andreas Fiorentinos – Secretary General, Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO)
Ilias Kikilias – General Director, INSETE
Andreas Metaxas – CEO, Metaxa Hospitality Group
Giorgos Spanos – Vice President & CEO, Domes Resorts
Ilias Kokotos – Director of Business Development, Elounda Collection Hotels & Resorts
Moderator: Kostas Panagakis

14:55 – Crete: Gastronomy arsenic an Identity
Dimitris Kalaitzidakis – Operations Director, Grecotel Hotels & Resorts
Nikos Douloufakis – Winemaker, Oenologist
Katerina Xekalou – President & CEO, AVLI AXTΕ
Panagiotis Magganas – Owner, Peskesi Restaurant and Peskesi Organic Farm
Moderator: Tina Mandilara

15:30 – The Voice of the Land: How Cretan Music Speaks to the World
Ross Daly – Musician, Founder of the Labyrinth Musical Workshop

15:45 – Closing