Corfu (as we all know!) is one of the most beautiful islands of Greece and was popular for vacations among wealthy Europeans more than a hundred years ago. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the tourism boom really began and tourism to Corfu continued to increase steadily until the end of the century. This touristic development brought a lot of wealth to the island and its inhabitants but, on the downside, also destroyed some of the most beautiful spots of the island and threatens to destroy the rest, due to the greed of many and the lack of planning and regulation.

Fortunately, more  and more people are realizing  that the old model of sun, sea, sand and nightlife is not working any more for a number of reasons and that we need a new kind of tourism. What we need to do is first of all protect the environment and the unique nature and landscape of Corfu, and develop alternative modes of tourism that promote rather than destroy the beauty of the island. Corfu with its evergreen countryside is ideal for walking, cycling and horse riding. Also, more and more people come to Corfu (and especially Arillas) to meditate, or to spend their holidays at an organic farm. People can visit wineries and oil presses to experience how local products were (and sometime still are) made.
Green Corfu is a new website (www.greencorfu.com) that wants to present a different Corfu to the outside world. On the website you can find info on alternative holidays but also beautiful photos of flowers, plants, animals and bugs of Corfu, information on local products such as olive oil, green soap, koumquat and (of course!) Corfu beer, presentations of local artists, traditional recipes and info on recycling and green energy. Of course there is always room for more and suggestions are welcome!

Green Corfu is trying  to make people realize how beautiful this island is and how important it is to protect it. The aim of Green Corfu, on the short term, is to bring together all those different, alternative forms of tourism on one website and to promote them on the internet. On the long term, Green Corfu hopes to connect and bring together people on the island who share a respect for the environment, nature, tradition and have new ideas, so that they can help each other! This way, we can move to a new way of thinking where profit is not the only goal, and where we can all enjoy rather than exploit Corfu!