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Greece
vacation. Alternative tourism Greece.
Europe
Destinations of Excellence in Western Macedonia.
Florina
city central square, main road and river Sakoulevas.
Φλώρινα, η κεντρική πλατεία Μόδη,
η κεντρική οδός Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου και ο ποταμός Σακουλέβας.
Florina
(Greek: Φλώρινα, known also by several alternative names) is a town and
municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is,
'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies
in the central part of Florina regional unit, of which it is the capital.
Florina belongs to the region of West Macedonia. The town's population is
16,771 people (2001 census).
The city's
original Byzantine name, Χλέρινον (Chlérinon, "full of green
vegetation"), derives from the Greek word χλωρός (chlōrós,
"fresh" or "green vegetation"). The name was sometimes
Latinized as Florinon (from the Latinflora, "vegetation") in the later
Byzantine period, and in early Ottoman documents the forms Chlerina and Florina
are both used, with the latter becoming standard after the 17th century. The
form with (φλωρός) is a local dialect
form of χλωρός in Greek.
The region
of Florina is located in Northern Greece in West Macedonia; it covers a surface
area of 1924 square kilometres. Geographically, it consists of mountainous and
semi mountainous areas and lowlands. The compact mountainous area of the
northern-northwest section consists of the mountains of Varnoutas, Vernon and
Voras. These contain the ski centre and European Alpine routes whose peaks
reach out to the fertile valleys and the six lakes of Prespes.
There are
eight municipalities: Aetos, Amynteo, Klines, Melitis, Perasma, Prespes, Filota
and Florina and four communities: Variko Kristalopigi, Lechovo and Nymfeo with
a total population of 54.768 inhabitants. In the past 3 years, the region has
implemented initiatives that have contributed to the promotion of local
tourism, through greater appreciation and preservation of the rural environment
and cultural heritage. Such activities have been highlighted though a coherent
strategic plan together with promotional activities. Tourism management in
Florina has been implemented according to the principles of sustainable tourist
development which try to establish a balance between society, culture and the
environment.
Florina is
the destination which fulfilled all the criteria of the competition such as
traditional establishments, rich natural and cultural attributes, a wide range
of local products, rich popular art, many local customs, local cuisine, many
events organised in the spirit of agro tourism and many activities organised in
the countryside.
Amongst its
assets it was appreciated that Florina:
• is an
emerging tourist destination actively promoting rural tourism
• has
implemented innovative actions
• has a
survey on a strategic plan of development of rural tourism
• The whole
prefecture has signed up to
o a ‘local
Contract of quality’, (e.g. the use of plastic chairs is not permitted in
hotels and rented rooms, hotels and restaurants must use local produce for the
preparation of meals etc) ,
o a ‘local
network of tradition and folklore’
• promotes
tourism with promotional material in many different European languages and
actively participates in international tourist fairs
• organises
annual seminars on the development of improved rural tourism procedures
• has a
very rich cultural and historic heritage and many popular art exhibitions
• has many
well preserved local customs and that events such as local feasts are organised
on a regular basis
• has
several cultural parks
• promotes
a wide variety of local products (dishes, wines) and enhances local
entrepreneurship and fosters female business partnerships and networks
•
participates in programs concerning the development of rural tourism
• has a
renown national park (Prespes)
• has
international alpine routes
• has its
own Ski centre
• has 6
lakes (some of them on the borders of Northern Greece)
• has the
ability to organise adventures in nature, sports and rural activities for
tourists
• has a
nature reserve (for the protection of wild life such as bears, wolves)
• has
traditional settlements and villages with excellent infrastructure
•
participates in many international projects (e.g. promotion of wine and beans
products, nest project on the development of a standard for sustainable
development in Interreg projects, participates in LEADER Programs and some
areas are part of NATURA 2000)
• is a
member of the ‘euro-villages’ programme and
• is
connected to a rural tourism site.