Innovative hotelier Yiannis Sbokos dies, aged 75

A pioneer of Crete's tourism, Yiannis Sbokos, died in a hospital in Iraklio on Monday night, following a long illness. He was 75.

Sbokos founded the Sbokos Hotel Group in 1976 which was renamed Phāea Resorts in 2019. He built some of the most important hotels in Crete that were considered pioneering for their time, and are still seen as among the most emblematic of the island.

He was also a founding member of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), a member of the Panhellenic Hotel Association, and participated in Minoan Lines, Hellenic Seaways, Forthnet and Air Greece. He had also served as municipal councilor of Iraklio and president of the city's Municipal Company of Water and Sewerage.

He was married to Eleni Kaparounaki and had two daughters, Agapi, wife of Kostantinos Zompanakis, and Costantza, wife of Achilleas Constantakopoulos, who continue the...