The main income source for people in the coastal area is tourism industry. Tourism infrastructure includes high quality hotels and accommodation businesses; blue flag awarded beaches and water parks, golf course, emergency medical centers and well equipped congress facilities. Main income source in the inland province is agriculture focusing on olive oil and wine production and animal husbandry. The municipality of Chersonissos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: Episkopi, Gouves, Chersonissos and Malia
Tourist attractions include intact landscape, picturesque villages, agricultural museums, animal farms, cultural tours, ancestral pathways and a number of historical monuments and sites. Main archaeological sites include the Minoan Palaces of Malia and Amnissos (the summer Palace of King Minos) the Archaeological sites of Niros, Karfi (Minoan refuge) as well as ambiguous antiquities from the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine era. Visitors are able to enjoy extreme leisure activities such as paragliding, water sports, bungee jumping, golf and mountain bike.
