Social Cooperative Entreprise Apano Meria

Description

Recently, Syros has been seeing an ever-increasing touristic development, with visitors flooding the island during the summer months. The idea that tourism is a mass product exclusively for leisure and holidays is just another commodity to be consumed is diametrically opposed to the principles advocated by the SCE Apano Meria. Therefore, seeking to act as a living counter-example of good tourist practices, we created the Juniperus project, a research and volunteering project. Its aim is to offer young scientists - quality visitors (rather than mass tourists)- the opportunity to study Syros’ distinct ecosystem, as well as its unique geology, and to contribute to generating social and environmental impact. Our volunteer projects encourage a kind of visitor who interacts with awareness, who actively and positively influences the local community and allows a dynamic exchange between the island and themselves, since by the time they leave, they will have left behind their labour for the benefit of the island that hosted them.