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MEETINGREECE
97
DODECANESE ISLANDS
Dodecanese emigrants and from shipping. Today inhabitant’s
main activities are tourism-related. Nonetheless many of the
traditional occupations still survive, such as stone masonry,
carpentry and ship building and the women have never ceased
producing exceptional textiles, knitted handicrafts and
embroideries.
A TOUR TO T HE I S L ANDS . . .
The capital of Dodecanese and the biggest island is Rhodes. It is
named the “Island of the Sun” because it experiences the longest
duration of sunlight in all of Greece. It is famed for its magnificent,
fully restored medieval town, which is the largest inhabited
medieval settlement in Europe. The second largest island of the
group is Karpathos. The island is covered with pine and olive
trees that reach all the way down to its numerous sandy beaches.
Kos is the third largest island in the Dodecanese. The island is
small, but perfectly formed so that you are no more than 11
kilometres of the coast from wherever you are. Hippocrates, who
lived here, is said to be the father of modern medicine and the
ruins at Asklepieion are those of a healing centre built on his
teachings.
S P EC I A L I N FO
Rhodes: The island of Rhodes is famous for its ceramics that are
painted with special colours. One can also buy gold and silver
jewellery, furs, leather garments, all at comparatively low prices.
Kos: In Kos one can also buy ceramics, jewellery and leather
clothing or furs, but the island is especially famous for its honey.
Kalymnos: Literally a short boat ride away from Kos is Kalymnos,
a small but famous island famous for the sponges and world
renowned cliffs for rock climbing.
Patmos: One of the archipelago’s top tourist attractions is the
magnificent Monastery of St John on the “holy island” of Patmos
where the apostle compiled the Book of Revelation, the last book
of the bible.
Those interested in nature, Dodecanese provide tourists with
some lovely unspoilt corners.
The mountains of Karpathos conceal delightful villages where
customs of the older times are still kept. The local women dress
in traditional costumes, grind their corn in the local windmills and
bake bread in outdoor communal ovens. An increasing number
of foreign travellers are starting to discover the many delights of
Leros which boasts good beaches and tourist facilities whilst still
retaining its essentially Greek character. But most package
holiday-makers by-pass the small islands of Symi and Tilos which
appeal hikers, nature lovers and those who simply want to relax
on an quite beach.
ME E T I N DODECANE S E
The geographic location, accessibility, history, cultural, tradition
and tourist infrastructure of the Dodecanese islands have
established them an ideal place for conferences. In particular,
Rhodes is a traditional conference destination with many
experienced professionals involved in conference and incentive
travel tourism. Resorts in Rhodes have a tradition of significant
meetings including the European Union summit in December
1988 and hundreds more organized by both official governmental
bodies and private companies.
Conventions, meetings and incentives can be held in venues that
range from ancient open-air theatres to medieval palaces,
modern hotels and fully equipped conference centres. In Madraki
there is a marina able to berth 115 yachts.
Kos is a much celebrated island, notably as the source of
inspiration for medics and medicine related professionals from all
over the world due to its historic background.
Kos has well developed tourist infrastructure as well as state-of-
the-art conference facilities, while the island’s marina can berth
250 yachts.
Significant Greek and foreign institutions have frequently held
conferences in smaller islands in the Dodecanese, taking
advantage of their delightful island colour and the local
hospitality.
T RANS POR T A T I ON
Kos, Rhodes and Karpathos have international airports
connecting the region directly with most major European cities.
Some of the islands are linked via domestic and charter flights,
and others such as Kalymnos, Astypalea and Kastellorizo have
direct flights to/from Athens.
There are also flights to/from Thessaloniki and Crete.
Most of the islands are connected by ferry with Piraeus while
some international ferry links are also available (mainly from
Rhodes) to Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Israel. Some of the islands
are linked with Thessaloniki and Crete either by ferryboat service.
Almost all of them are interconnected with small ferries, boats,
hydrofoils and even with traditional kaikia (fishing boats).