Balance sought between growth and heritage
[Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]
At an event in Delphi marking the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention on Thursday, Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted the need to protect the world’s cultural heritage from potential threats.
As an example, Mitsotakis cited the fires that destroyed a part of an ancient olive grove near Delphi this summer. “Global cultural heritage is today facing a challenge that we have to consider how we will cope with. We must consider what our vision is for the next 50 years,” he told delegates.
The topic is especially poignant for Greece, which has 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites, more than half of which date to ancient times and have come under increasing pressure from the massive rise in visitor numbers over recent years.
