On Thursday 30/09/2021, the inaugural event of the new European project entitled: "Development of a Cross-Border Network for the Promotion of Sustainable Coastal Tourism" took place at the Chamber of Chania, with a budget of € 1,340,000 and focusing on sustainable tourism development. The event was co-organized by Chania Chamber, as the lead partner of the project, together with the Laboratory of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems of School of Chemical Engineering and Environment of the Technical University of Crete, which was represented by Professor Theocharis Tsoutsos.

The inaugural event was honored by the presence of all the institutional representatives of the multidimensional corporate structure of the pioneering project: the Mayor of Kissamos, Mr. George Mylonakis. its Director Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Marinos Stylianou, his professor Mr. Petros Kosmas Cyprus University of Technology and its President Community of Ineia, Mr. Yagos Tsivikos.

During the event, the Ministry of Development and Mr. George Zervos intervened, Special Secretary for the European Regional Development and Cohesion Fund, who reaffirmed the importance of effectively utilizing the significant available European and national resources for sustainable regional development and upgrading the country's tourism product. While the participation of Mrs. Stella Tomazou and Mr. Asterios Fylatos, on behalf of the Managing Authorities of Cyprus and Greece for the Program "INTERREG VA" GREECE-CYPRUS 2014-2020 "was also important.

THE Antonis Rokakis, as President of the Chamber of Chania, the leading partner of the new European project, after welcoming all the important collaborators stressed: «At the Chamber of Chania we innovate, effectively utilizing every available financial tool in practice. We are connected with the island of Cyprus by long-standing national and historical ties, which we must highlight and further develop with projects such as today. At the same time, we are implementing our new strategy of sustainable development and upgrading of our Tourism product with the new European project "Development of a Cross-Border Network for the Promotion of Sustainable Coastal Tourism", With which we secured resources €1.340.000. Today we are starting to promote the establishment and operation of model Communities for the Protection and Promotion of Coastal Ecosystems, utilizing the scientific support of the most modern models for measuring bearing capacity, starting from the lagoon of Balos. We prioritize programs that promote experiential experiences and corporate social responsibility practices oriented towards sustainable development. At the same time, we have already proposed to the competent bodies the creation on our island of a permanent "Observatory for the Protection of the Coastal Natural Wealth of Crete", Which can be based on the extremely experienced and tested scientific core, ELKETHE and the Technical University of Crete».