ATHENS — The study conducted for the strategic development plan "Astypalea 4.0" seeks to prove that an Aegean island can become a "model" island worldwide, the CEO of Deloitte Greece Dimitris Koutsopoulos said on Wednesday at the presentation of the study, which attempts to determine the model and development strategy that the island should follow in the long run.

The CEO of Deloitte Greece, Dimitris Koutsopoulos, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that the study "Astypalea 4.0" is Deloitte's largest Corporate Social Responsibility project, which is carried out on a non-profit basis, by a company team of experts in a number of fields, so as to fully cover the proposed strategic axes of the plan.

"It is a CSR initiative that we are undertaking for the first time, with a very significant impact on the local community that will have multi-level economic benefits at national and regional level," he said.

According to Koutsopoulos, "the idea for the study and the strategic development plan 'Astypalea 4.0' arose through Deloitte's efforts to provide the island with the framework and the prospects for a sustainable future, to improve the standard of living and to increase its population.

"Through our cooperation with Axion Hellas and the actions it undertakes for the communities of remote islands, the study and the strategic development plan 'Astypalea 4.0' were prepared together with the municipality of the island based on four axes: infrastructure improvement and development, strengthening the local economy and entrepreneurship, environmental protection and sustainability as well as digital upgrade and modernisation. A new development model for Astypalea is proposed for the coming years and the specifications to support this development, as well as a series of specialised actions for each of the above axes, which should be carried out by both the state and private initiative with the aim of promoting Astypalea as a model island," Koutsopoulos said.

The choice of Astypalea, according to the CEO, was based on the fact that "this island is a remote and not an established tourist destination but has significant potential and strong competitive advantages, such as growing international demand for alternative and authentic tourism products and experiences that do not fall within the framework of traditional mass tourism."