Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has used a visit to Crete to champion a package of major infrastructure projects for the island while positioning Greece’s largest region as the centerpiece of his government’s push for year-round tourism.
Speaking at a New Democracy pre-conference panel in Heraklion, Mr. Mitsotakis committed to completing the Northern Road Axis of Crete — a major highway project he said his government inherited with virtually nothing built — and confirmed the Kastelli airport remains on track for a 2028 opening.
He also announced accelerated plans to reinforce the Aposelemis dam and upgrade irrigation networks, acknowledging that an escalating water shortage poses a serious threat to the island’s agricultural sector and long-term sustainability.
An electrical interconnection project aimed at reducing Crete’s energy costs was also highlighted as a priority.
On tourism, Mr. Mitsotakis billed Crete the flagship of Greece’s strategy to shift from volume to value.
“For the first time, we are seeing a large increase in the money spent by visitors, and this must be the main direction of Greek tourism,” he said, framing the goal as attracting higher-spending visitors rather than simply maximizing arrival numbers.
He argued that Greece’s stability gives it a competitive advantage as rival Mediterranean destinations contend with geopolitical instability.
The prime minister used the occasion to draw a sharp contrast with the opposition, criticizing rivals for offering negation rather than policy and accusing them of wanting to return Greece to the economic model of the 1980s.
“We left aside supposedly partisan rivalries and unnecessary toxicity,” he said, framing his regional planning approach as a model of practical governance.
Crete is Greece’s largest island and its most visited, drawing millions of tourists annually and accounting for a significant share of national tourism revenues.
