The Greek island of Lesvos will host the 14th Eressos Women’s Festival that will last two weeks. Over 1,000 women from Greece and across the world will visit the island to attend the festival, which celebrates the history, culture, achievements and diversity of women. Eressos Festival will take place at the lesbian-friendly setting of Skala, Eressos, in Lesvos, from September 6 to 20. The festival was founded by Sappho Travel in 2000. “All women are welcome, included and celebrated here, regardless of their race, age, interests or sexuality,” note the organizers on the festival’s website. The participants will have the opportunity to join in social and creative activities, meet people, learn new skills and share talents. The festival includes live music, dance parties, open-air film screenings, alternative fashion show, art exhibition, beach and water sports, workshops, excursions and many other activities. Lesvos has been attracting lesbian tourists since the 70s due to the island’s association with the ancient Greek poetess Sappho. Eressos was the birthplace of Sappho who wrote about her love for women and is generally considered the world’s first widely-known lesbian writer. Eressos Festival is boosting the local economy as hundreds of women flock to the island every September. According to data released at the ITB Berlin international tourism exhibition in March, the expenditure per capita of gay tourists is 57% higher than those of straight travelers. It is estimated that the share of the global LGBT tourism market is over 10% or 75 million tourists.
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