Determining Ecotourism Strategies: The Case Study of Greek Forest Villages

Abstract

This paper presents a combination of SWOT and AHP analyses of forest recreation destinations. Recreation is one of the numerous services provided by forest ecosystems. In Greece, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food created seven forest environmental settlements called "Forest  Villages" in order to facilitate the short-term residence in forest ecosystems.  In each Forest Village, there are about twenty wood frame homes or log homes adapted to the natural environment. This project was successful and many individuals built their private wooden lodges in areas close to forests or areas of ecotouristic interest. In this paper, 32 "Forest Villages" are studied as a network, the –Forest Village Network–, in order to evaluate the factors for strategic planning and to utilize them in developing effective strategies for the growth of the network.