Crete tourist guide

Protest against overtourism in the Kourtaliotiko Gorge

2024-08-08 20:39:02

This coming Sunday, August 11th at 11:00 a.m. at the entrance to the Kourtaliotiko Gorge there will be a protest organized by the Kourtaliotiko Springs Protection Movement. This protest is a reaction to the increasingly aggressive promotion of this area as one of the tourist attractions of Crete.

This ill-considered marketing makes the place overly crowded and consequently polluted. Recently, photos have been appearing on social media showing that the area of springs and waterfalls has begun to struggle with excessive tourist interest. There are crowds both at the bottom of the gorge, where many people bathe in the springs, and on the road leading through the gorge, which is completely blocked by cars.

Photo source: www.cretalive.gr

The Kourtaliotiko Gorge is one of the greatest natural attractions of the Rethymno Prefecture region. The canyon, approximately 3 kilometers long and with impressive slopes reaching up to 600 meters in some places, is one of the most beautiful and famous gorges in Crete. It is also a Natura 2000 protected area, a wildlife reserve and a special fauna protection zone. This gorge is also registered in the Greek nature database Filotis as an endangered natural landscape.

For a long time, most people coming to Kourtaliotiko stopped at a small parking lot on the road. The stops were dictated mainly by the desire to admire how high and majestic the walls of the gorge are. A portion of adrenaline was provided by gusts of very strong wind, which appears here when the weather is appropriate. Few people, however, decided to go down to the very bottom of the gorge.

Growing popularity

For several years, however, there has been an increasing promotion of waterfalls and springs flowing at the bottom of the Kourtaliotiko gorge by companies organizing trips to this place. The vision of bathing in such a place and the opportunity to take a few photos meant that every day many tourists began to descend to the bottom of the gorge, who saw this place "on the Internet" and reached here on their own. Currently, however, this area is not adapted in any way to accommodate a larger number of visitors.

After descending to the bottom of the gorge, people bathe in the river, and some swim into magical waterfalls. Unfortunately, too many visitors become a threat to the natural environment of this place. As the protest organizers emphasize, the problem is not the guests who visit this place, but their number. An excess of people contributes, with all possible consequences, to disturbing the delicate balance of the ecosystem and poses a threat to public health.

Water from these springs is very important for the inhabitants of the area. It is used as drinking water and for irrigation of agricultural areas. The movement to defend the Kourtaliotiko springs indicates that a big problem is that bathers apply sunscreens before bathing, which remain in the water after bathing. Unfortunately, there are also cases of meeting physiological needs with water. Let us remind you that this place is a source of drinking water, which later goes to the taps of nearby houses. The shortage of freshwater that Crete is facing due to too little rainfall shows even more clearly the great importance of this type of places.

Photo source: www.cretalive.gr

What do protesters expect?

For the above reasons, residents of the area want to introduce limits on the number of visitors. It is also important to limit the number of cars parking along the road leading through the gorge. This is important because currently it is the only road connecting this area with the northern part of the island. Other demands of the protesters include preparing a management plan as soon as possible, determining the carrying capacity of the area and protecting its resources.

There are also voices about the need to install water meters on pipes that were installed at the springs last year. At the same time, the aspect of repairing damage to the local water supply network is also raised. The demands also include the need to introduce clear regulations for visitors. These include a ban on littering, the introduction of a restricted access zone, a ban on crossing the river, a ban on bathing after using sun filters, as well as the option of a financial penalty for entering the area when the highest levels of fire risk are announced.

Photo source: www.cretalive.gr

The residents' initiative is not the only action taken to protect this place. A month earlier, a meeting of the region's authorities took place, during which a number of decisions were made regarding the regulation of tourist traffic in this place.

The crowd is not the only problem

The overloading of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge is associated with threats that occur during crisis situations. In summer, when the fire situation often becomes dangerous, the gorge area is theoretically closed to tourist traffic. In practice, however, as in the case of most Cretan routes, there is no real possibility of enforcing violations of the entry ban. This is important because if a larger fire occurred in the area of this gorge, the evacuation of people at the bottom would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, in the case of ordinary injuries, which often occur here, the need to provide first aid or carry out a rescue operation is very difficult due to the terrain. When staying in Cretan gorges, you should always remember that these places are never 100% safe. The large number of parked cars and increased traffic on the road are also important.

Planned changes

So what actions do local authorities intend to implement to prevent dangerous situations? Gates are to be installed at the descent to the springs and in the parking lot, which will be closed in the event of a fire hazard level of 4 and 5 being announced. Additionally, in such situations, the area will be controlled by the police and other services, as well as volunteers.

Information boards will be erected in the area of the gorge, containing general information about prohibitions and safety measures in Greek and English. The recommendation to avoid bathing in the springs due to the possibility of water contamination is also to be implemented. Local companies that are currently organizing trips to the Kourtaliotiko springs are to be informed about the prohibitions and precautions taken. These companies will be responsible for informing their customers about these regulations. Additionally, people and companies organizing trips to this place will be obliged to read the current fire risk map every day in order to comply with the issued recommendations.

The mayor keeps his finger on the pulse

It is also increasingly likely that the above provisions will be transformed into a ministerial order that will strictly regulate the conditions of access and management of visitors to this area. The fact that the municipal authorities take this issue seriously is also proven by yesterday's meeting of the mayor of the municipality, Agios Vassiliou, with the managing director of the Organization for the Natural Environment and Climate Change.

The details of the agreement regarding traffic regulation in the area of the springs, appropriate marking and maintenance of trails, cleaning both in the gorge and its immediate vicinity, as well as the development and installation of signs with information for guests were discussed. These actions would be implemented quickly. In a slightly longer perspective, by March next year, plans for the long-term management and promotion of the gorge would be prepared, an assessment of the carrying capacity of the area would be carried out in order to implement tourist traffic management and establish visitor limits, the development of tourist routes with places for rest and the provision of assistance.

Will Kourtaliotiko sources share the fate of Seitan Limania?

Of course, everyone realizes that both water supply and tourism are crucial to local communities and contribute to the well-being of residents. However, the current situation is becoming simply unacceptable and dangerous for both residents of the area and visitors.

It is worth noting that in the last month alone, incidents such as a fire outbreak and the injury of a tourist took place in the area of the Kourtaliotiko springs. Yesterday, the media also reported the death of one of the tourists in the gorge. All this is accompanied by further photos from this place posted by tourists on social media. Apart from admiration, the comments are dominated by questions: Where is it? How can I get there?

However, we are afraid that even official regulations and actions of the authorities will not restore the sources to the state they were in 6 years ago. The planned implementation of traffic regulations, marking out paths and other activities is only an attempt to control the masses of visitors and at the same time a way to introduce additional paid services. The milk has already been spilled, and the Kourtaliotiko springs will share the fate of Seitan Limania and other secluded locations discovered by mass tourism.

Finally, let us just add that the Movement for the Defense of the Kourtaliotiko Springs, organizing Sunday's protest, is a civic initiative created by the same people who previously defended the Paligremnos cliff in Plakias from being used for the construction of a hotel complex.

Gosia,  2024-08-08 20:39:02

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