Author(s)

B. S. Tselentis & D. G. Prokopiou

Abstract

It is generally accepted that during the last few decades an important change in the direction of economic development in the Greek islands has taken place. In the early 1970s a wide ranging change occurred in the nature of production in some of the largest Aegean islands, which encompassed the transition of the rural economies from primary and secondary to tertiary production, and in particular tourism. In particular, Kos and Rhodes experienced a transition from agricultural and industrial economies to highly developed tourist economies providing top market services. This paper describes this transition in terms of basic economic indicators and discusses the options of future investments in the area of sustainable renewable energy and other production. 1 Basic population characteristics, employment and economy of Kos and Rhodes islands Kos and Rhodes are the largest islands of Dodecanese. Tourist economies of scale take place in these two islands. They both belong to the island complex of Dodecanese. Table 1: Population characteristics. 1971 1981 1991 2001 Kos 16653 20370 26379 30947 Rhodes 66609 86037 96073 117007

Keywords