ELOYNDA  OF THE 21st CENTURY

In 2006, hundred years are completed from the moment that the first person inhabited Skisma, Elounda’s harbour. During this century Elounda created its own rich history.

Elounda, as it is today, began to be shaped in the ‘70s. The first big hotels of the region started to be constructed in 1969 and this fact reversed its physiognomy and its economic activity. The people, that up to then dealt with the agriculture, the fishery, the production of salt and the excavation of hones, turn to the tourism.

The tourist growth brought also the residential and demographic growth. The population of the village presented a 43% increase   at the last decade (from 1522 residents in 1991 the population reached the number of 2169 people in 2001) according to National Statistics Service. During the summer its population is multiplied astonishingly (550.000 registered overnight stays).

The dynamics of Elounda is expressed not only by the new hotels and the demographic increase but also by the composition of its population. It attracts persons from all the parts of Greece in order to work at the hotels and the tourist enterprises the aestival months, but also a lot of foreigners from Europe and economic immigrants mainly from countries of Eastern Europe.

Between the 6 settlements that constitute Elounda,  the Skisma constitutes the centre and the harbour of village. According to the elements of 2004, 9.434 individuals visit it daily and roughly 207 ships are moored annually.

There are two banks, police station, information office  for the visitors, created by  the local developmental enterprise of Elounda (K.E.P.AN.EL), harbour outpost, more than 200 tourist enterprises and roughly 6.500 beds from which the half are super luxurious . People are activated through various associations with more important the Progressive Association and the Athletic Association of Elounda.

*We wish to thank ' Elounda' , the magazine of the cultural association of Elounda, as well as all the collumnists, particularly Emmanuel Makrakis and Emmanuel Loukakis for their contribution on the collection of all the information related to this ste.