By May 10, it is estimated that the disruptive works, specifically related to the construction of the visitor reception building, ticket office and sales office of the Organization for the Management and Development of Cultural Resources ( ODAP), on Spinalonga, will have been completed and limited. Efforts are being made to continue those that do not cause any inconvenience to visitors, given that the number of visitors to the island is constantly increasing as the days go by.
ANATOLI contacted the head of the independent Department of Monitoring and Development of Resources (ODAP) of the Ministry of Culture, Angeliki Maragkaki, who described the interventions that are underway to upgrade the infrastructure and services that serve visitors to Spinalonga. The information indicates the Ministry’s intention for a very serious change in the organization of the flow of visitors with a more rational distribution of the crowd in the zones that the island will be divided into.
Electronic ticket
Also, a very serious intervention is the almost universal implementation of the electronic ticket, which will contribute to all this planning, with a dual purpose – upgrading services to the visitor and protecting the monument.
“The project being carried out concerns all of the archaeological sites on the island, it is a complex one – it is not a simple project – because it combines two projects from the Recovery Fund.
One is for the upgrading of the building infrastructure and concerns the new ticket office-shop and visitor reception and service areas and the second concerns the installation of digital services. It is a building that ensures the decent work of the ministry’s employees on the island. All items sold will be exhibited in our shop (new casts, new creations inspired by antiquity, oils from archaeological sites, etc.).
In other words, we have already installed an electronic ticket. Spinalonga will enter the new marketplace and the ticket will be available online through a new digital portal for our cultural heritage. Along with 108 other sites, the Spinalonga ticket will now be available, which will also be issued electronically (but the conventional method will also be maintained). This will allow the visitor to choose the time of visit and arrange their visit on the day and time they wish, while also arranging the itinerary they will take with the day boat that will transport them,” said Ms. Maragaki.
Digital signage – guided tour
In addition to the above, Ms. Maragaki said that digital signage with QR codes is also being installed on the island.
“In Spinalonga we are installing an electronic tour with QR and a digital tour guide. It is a new project that aims to upgrade services at this emblematic archaeological monument, which is Spinalonga,” he emphasized.
When asked if the required smooth connection of the island to the Internet has been ensured, Ms. Maragaki replied: “We also took care of networks… For now, we have brought a 5G VPN line, but soon we will also install a microwave link. In the coming days, an inspection and installation of the microwave link will take place, always in consultation with the competent Ephorate of Antiquities of Lassithi and the head, Ms. Vasso Zografaki, with whom we always have very close cooperation, given that we are also an agency of the Ministry of Culture. Always with respect for our cultural heritage, we do our best to upgrade services to the visitor.”
Visitor flow
We asked Ms. Maragaki if the electronic ticket implementation is combined with a new organization of the flow rate of visitors to Spinalonga, if there is any thought about a ceiling on daily visitors and how all those involved in the sale of tickets, excursions, tourist offices, day boats, etc. will be coordinated with the new regime.
Ms. Maragaki stated: “We are clearly interested in the protection of the monument, as well as the visitor’s experience, as, as a public body, we must protect our cultural heritage.” She explained that a relevant study has been commissioned, which will take into account statistical data on visitor numbers on the island. The goal is to zone the visitable areas on the island.” The flow of visitors will be organized on a new basis, she said, explaining that this new organizational form will apply from this year’s season, with time zones with a specific number of visitors, from 08.00 to 20.00! The distribution will be done more correctly within the hours that access to the island is allowed, based on data from the Greek Statistical Service for Spinalonga and will cover the entire number of visitors to the island, Ms. Maragaki clarified.
We asked for more details on how this will be achieved and Ms. Maragaki said: “This will be made possible through the electronic ticketing system. The visitor will choose the time zone, based on availability. He will enter from the previous to the next day he will visit the island, will see the availability of tickets for the 12-hour period of visitation and will issue a ticket. Those who do not choose an electronic ticket will be aware that there is a possibility that upon arriving on the island, they will not be able to enter immediately and tour it. That is why we also have a cafe in the area where they can be served while they wait…
“All of this is currently experimental. A study is being carried out to cover all visitors, but always with respect for our cultural heritage.”
The new marketplace provides all the necessary information to visitors. So, no one will arrive on the island “uninformed” anymore. They will know exactly the conditions they will find there.
Also, most groups will be served by tourist offices again via the internet with the codes they will have to enter the system and issue the tickets that are available in the visitor zones, as is also applied at the Acropolis of Athens, in Lindos of Rhodes. It will be difficult for someone to arrive on the island without having booked a ticket, said Ms. Maragaki.
The electronic system locally on the island has already been connected and will be available online by mid-May. The tourist offices have been informed and the plan will be discussed in the coming days with HATA for a smooth transition for all archaeological sites and not just Spinalonga, concluded Ms. Maragaki, whom we thank for granting the interview, while she was on a mission to ancient Thira…
Source: Nikos Trantas for Anatolh.com