This year’s Tourism in Climate Crisis Forum (TCC Forum) is of great importance for entrepreneurship and the natural environment, whose events and sessions will take place September 21–26 in Rhodes, with the president of the Green Fund, Mr. Yannis Androulakis, as the official guest of honor and the Chamber of Commerce of Dodecanese as the honored institution, with free admission for everyone.
The discussions will focus, among other things, on two goals:
- The environmental transition of small businesses.
- The effectiveness and financial independence of civil society organizations.
The presence of the president himself, as well as Green Fund executives, will serve as a catalyst, as the forum will inform participants about everything related to the priorities, conditions, and requirements of both small and large European funding programs.
A Substantive Meeting of the Green Fund with Local Organizations
During the second day of the TCC Forum, representatives from all local organizations (unions, associations, AMKE, KOSNEP, KOISPE, etc.) will have the opportunity to speak directly with the president and executives of the Green Fund. This initiative, as designed by the organization “For Nature,” aims to demonstrate how civil society organizations can secure funding to implement projects that serve the collective, environmental, and social good.
It should be noted that the Green Fund is also the official managing body for the “Blue Fund,” which finances initiatives related to the marine environment.
At the same time, at this year’s Tourism in Climate Crisis Forum, academics and senior business executives will analyze a range of challenges involved in the shift toward sustainability.
The full program of discussions at the TCC Forum also includes:
- Challenges of Environmental and Specialized Environmental Education in a Changing Natural Environment.
- Resilience in Tourism: From Management to Financing and Sustainable Development
- Urban biodiversity and the invisible communities at archaeological sites
- Monumental Trees and Natural Monuments: Identification and Conservation.
Conference Venues and General Program:
Below is the general program for the TCC Forum, which is completely free to attend for everyone worldwide (the detailed program will be announced in the coming days):
- September 21–23, 2026: The TCC Forum program includes the environmental film festival (Rhodes Climate Film Festival), which will take place in front of the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and for which separate announcements are being made and will continue to be made.
- September 24, 2026: an experiential workshop on urban biodiversity, to be held at the Ancient Stadium of Rhodes. The workshop is intended for both school students (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) and the general public—visitors to Rhodes (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.). Further details will be provided in a separate announcement.
- September 25, 2026, at the Chamber of Commerce, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Main panel discussion featuring Mr. Yannis Androulakis, President of the Green Fund, and Mr. Yannis Pappou, President of the Chamber of Commerce, on the topic of small and large businesses shifting toward sustainable operations.
- This will be followed by the presentation of Forest Ambassador and Marine Steward certificates to hotels and other businesses that actively participate in the initiatives of the organization “For Nature.”
- September 26, 2026, Museum of Modern Greek Art, Rhodes, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Five panel discussions:
- Environmental education.
- Funding from the Green Fund & the Blue Fund for civil society organizations.
- Urban biodiversity, natural monuments: Identification and conservation.
- The Small Business Sustainability Toolkit.
- Tourism, sustainability, and resilience.
Who is organizing it:
The TCC Forum, like the Rhodes Climate Film Festival, is an initiative of the environmental organization “For Nature,” whose scientific members and staff have been working over the past few months to prepare for this important event. It is supported by the following co-organizers: the Region of South Aegean, the Municipality of Rhodes—Department of Culture, the Chamber of Commerce of Dodecanese, the Rhodes Hoteliers Association, and the Museum of Modern Greek Art in Rhodes.
The RFCC & TCC Forum is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, are organized in collaboration with the Dodecanese Ephorate of Antiquities and with the active support of the Dodecanese Association of Travel Agencies and the Association of Hotel Managers of Rhodes.
Accommodation sponsors are: Mitsis Hotels and 10GR Boutique Hotel & Wine Bar.
Media sponsors: Rodiaki, Demokratiki, GRTraveller, ERT South Aegean, Real Voice, TOP fm, Verena.gr, Aegean TV, Lotos, Rhodes.com.gr.