The Crete Trip 2024: The largest gathering of international students in Crete is coming

“The Crete Trip 2024” is taking place for the 12th year in Crete, in co-organization with the Region of Crete, under the auspices of the Hellenic Tourism Organization (EOT) and with the practical support of the State Scholarship Foundation / Erasmus+ National Coordination Unit for Education and training.

“The Crete Trip 2024” aims to highlight the special culture of Crete, through a five-day cultural trip with the participation of more than 900 international students from 45 countries, full of music, tastes and tours.

The organization is carried out entirely voluntarily by the Erasmus Student Network Greece (ESN Greece). It is one of the 40+ national member organizations of ESN AISBL with the aim of enriching society through international students.

The trip will start impressively with the ‘Flag Parade’: a multicultural march with flags and national colors of the participating students, after the opening speech of the Regional Governor of Crete, Stavros Arnautakis.

Participants will visit popular destinations such as Knossos, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia and Vai, while a Cretan Festival will be held with the aim of familiarizing participants with Cretan music, dances and local foods.

At the same time, within the framework of the priorities of the Erasmus+ Program to strengthen civic participation and environmental sustainability, beach cleaning actions will be carried out both in Vai and on the beach of Elounda which the students will visit during the event.

“The Crete Trip”, which is now an institution in the experience of Erasmus+ students, contributes to the extroversion and promotion of Crete and Greece in general as an ideal destination for studies and tourism. This goal is achieved even more directly for the Region of Crete, as the island takes the lead in the events.

The Regional Governor of Crete, Mr. Stavros Arnautakis, referring to the event, pointed out the following: “A few months before the Olympic Games in Paris, the great celebration of peace and the unity of the peoples, Crete is preparing to welcome hundreds of students,

“The Crete Trip” has now become an institution, as every year the young men and women who visit our place convey a strong message. That the young men and women of Europe prove every day that the great European family is an open political organization. An organization that opens borders, that gives equal opportunities, that promotes the cooperation of peoples, that becomes a vehicle for the exchange of ideas and cultures. We wish all the organizers of this beautiful trip good luck in their endeavours. We look forward to welcoming them to Heraklion.”

The head of the organizing committee, Mr. Dimitris Lemonis, also spoke about the organization of “The Crete Trip 2024”, stressing that “The Crete Trip is the largest cultural event organized by students for students and every year it evolves thanks to the valuable support of the Region of Crete and the State Scholarship Foundation, while at the same time contributing significantly to the extroversion of the country. An important achievement for this year’s organization is the inclusion of the event under the auspices of the Hellenic Tourism Organization (HTO). We look forward to visiting Crete for the 12th year!”