The Crete Tourism Observatory is a project implemented by the Tourism and Entrepreneurship Laboratory, at the Dept of Business Administration and Tourism. The project has secured funding from the Regional Authority of Crete till 2024. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop entity that would be responsible for collecting, processing, analysing and presenting all relevant information regarding the tourism industry and tourism activity in the island of Crete. The Crete Tourism Observatory project is responsible, inter alia, for, the joint planning and implementation of applied research on issues of local / regional interest that aim at the research support of the Tourism Observatory of the Region of Crete. The Tourism Observatory, which will operate in the Tourism Directorate of the Region of Crete, will be the official body for the collection and processing of information on tourism in Crete and will be able to support the adoption of strategic tourism decision making concerning the destination.

In order to operate effectively, and ensure the sustainability of this undertaking, the Crete Tourism Observatory would have to ensure the construction, operability and usability of a complete archive of data and information of the Cretan tourism sector – industry and its interconnections with the structure of the local economy and a strong and complete database to document all components of Cretan tourism and domestic production associated with it.

The proper functioning of the abovementioned structure will ensure the provision of all the necessary information for informed and proactive decision making for all tourism actors, bodies and agencies operating at a local and regional level in Crete.