Eight Crete hotels receive “Turtle-Friendly Hotel” certification in Chania and Rethymno ceremonies
Eight hotels in Chania and Rethymno received the new “Turtle-Friendly Hotel” certification this month, following ceremonies held on nesting beaches in both regions as part of the TUI Turtle Aid Greece program.
The certification is awarded under a program run by the TUI Care Foundation in partnership with the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, known as ARCHELON. The initiative aims to protect sea turtles and their habitats and to increase the tourism sector’s involvement in conservation efforts. Hotels receive the certification by meeting a set of criteria and adopting practices intended to protect sea turtle nesting beaches and reduce the impact of tourism activity on coastal habitats.
The award ceremonies took place on September 5 at Kato Stalos beach in Chania and on September 7 at Adelianos Kampos beach in Rethymno — both sites where sea turtles return each year to lay their eggs. Five hotels in the Chania area and three in the Rethymno area received the certification: Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel (Adelianos Kampos, Rethymno), Caldera Beach Hotel (Gerani, Chania), Caldera Creta Paradise Resort (Gerani, Chania), Euphoria Resort (Kolympari, Chania), Geraniotis Hotel & Resort (Platanias, Chania), Grecotel Caramel Resort (Adelianos Kampos, Rethymno), Grecotel Creta Palace Resort (Misiria, Rethymno), and Mike Hotels & Apartments (Maleme, Chania).
Around 60 people attended the Chania ceremony, including Euphoria Resort general manager Grigoris Tzanoudakis and Geraniotis Resort front office manager Alexandra Kontaraki. Chania deputy mayor Yiannis Drakakis and Stalos local community president Polychronis Daskalakis also attended.
“The protection of sea turtles is one of the key sustainability initiatives supported by the TUI Care Foundation in Greece. This week we were pleased to honor our partner hotel groups for their commitment to protecting sea turtles,” said TUI representative Mike Kwaaitaal.
At the Rethymno ceremony, Aquila Rithymna Beach was represented by general manager Kostas Damanakis and guest relations officer Maria Tavlariou, Grecotel Creta Palace by general manager Charalampos Gialitakis, and Grecotel Caramel by Maria Gyftopoulou. Local officials attending included Vangelis Archontakis of the Rethymno municipality’s tourism department and Konstantinos Gasparakis, the municipality’s tourism advisor.
From certification to hands-on conservation
The two ceremonies were not limited to handing out certificates. ARCHELON staff and volunteers followed the awards with educational nest excavations on the beach, giving attendees the chance to see an actual nest, its eggs, and hatchlings that had just completed their first and most difficult journey to the sea.
More than 250 people took part across the two events and the accompanying public education activities, according to organizers. For many attendees, the excavation offered a firsthand look at the life cycle of the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, and an explanation of why protecting the beach matters for the species’ survival. Anyone interested in the conservation work can contact ARCHELON’s Crete office, covering Rethymno, Chania and the Gulf of Messara, at crete@archelon.gr.
The certification program illustrates how hotel operations near nesting sites are increasingly tied to conservation outcomes on beaches in Crete, and reflects a broader push among places to stay in Crete to align with environmental standards.
