The impact of alternative tourism in mountainous regions, specifically in the case of Evrytania, Central Greece

ABSTRACT: Tourism has been considered as a development tool that may, under certain conditions, serve to grow the local economy, empower society and the community, and alleviate inequalities. A mixed technique (‘triangulation’) was utilized in this study, which included a review of secondary research material, questionnaire-based empirical research, and semi-structured interviews. The Evrytania Regional Unit (Central Greece) was chosen as a study region since it meets all of the mountain requirements. The research findings include both the impacts documented in the tourist destination in major areas of development such as the economy, society, culture, and the environment, as well as some critical elements that have influenced the expansion of Evrytania’s tourism development.

KEYWORDS : Tourism; mountain tourism; mountain area; Evrytania; impacts; soft-alternative tourism; local development; inequalities