Mitsotakis Marks Olympus UNESCO Listing Amid Northern Greece Tour

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Pieria on Friday for the official ceremony marking Mount Olympus's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and natural site. Speaking at the Olympus National Park Management Unit in Litochoro, Mitsotakis called the designation a "moment of vindication" for the iconic mountain, noting Greece now has three mixed World Heritage sites alongside Meteora and Mount Athos.

The visit included a stop at the Monastery of Agios Dionysios and a meeting with citizens in Katerini later in the day. Mitsotakis is scheduled to travel to Thessaloniki on Saturday for a third visit to the region within a month.

“The official inclusion of Olympus on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a mixed property constitutes a moment of vindication for the character of this emblematic mountain.”

The tour comes as New Democracy faces significant electoral erosion in Northern Greece. According to iEfimerida, the party's support in Pieria dropped from 41.09% in the 2023 national elections to 25.94% in the 2024 European elections, a decline of roughly 15 percentage points.

Meanwhile, right-wing rivals gained ground: Greek Solution rose from 7.56% to 14.17%, Niki from 7.46% to 10.45%, and Voice of Reason entered parliament with 3.11%. The shift is attributed to conservative voters moving rightward following the legalization of same-sex marriage, with the Church wielding particular influence in the region.

Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is also actively campaigning in Northern Greece with his new party, further fragmenting the center-right vote. Mitsotakis aims to persuade disappointed 2023 voters to return to New Democracy ahead of the next national elections.