Gradually Shifting The National Production Model’S Center Of Gravity: Investing In Regional Comparative Advantages For Demographic Restructuring

Greece records an extremely negative performance in terms of balance between birth and death rates while existing data highlight a clear imbalance regarding population outflow. The paper intends to portray the demographic trajectory both at an EU and at a national level, coupled with providing at a certain extend insights about relevant projections. Additionally, the paper emphasizes on the case of Fthiotida (a Regional Unity falling within the Region of Central Greece) and the depopulation recorded between 2011-2021, while it describes Central Greece’s current tourism performance and its impact in terms of economic indicators. Taking those into consideration the paper’s initial purpose is to provide various insights to promote current public discourse on the necessity of the effective utilization of the region’s natural thermal resources as a mean that may result in attracting investments related to tourism industry, creating sustainable and well-paid health-related jobs, and subsequently build the foundations of curtailing demographic vaporization taking place in the forementioned area. The methodological approach adopted is related to the review and content analysis of current literature, subsequent inputs included in institutional reports, data derived by official documentation and high institutional level interventions taken place within the public discourse. The paper concludes to the well-founded assumption that exploiting Fthiotida’s natural resources in terms of thermal/hot springs, as a complementary component, may contribute to the creation of an integrated tourism product, able to support regional economy, enforce the argument of gradual shifting the country’s productive model center of gravity, starting from certain sectors which are able to thrive in Greek regions, and establish conditions that may put a curb on population bloodletting.