National Zoning Plan for Tourism Development

The government has prioritized measures for tourism accommodation that are aimed at bolstering investment in the industry, Anastassios Liaskos, deputy minister for tourism development, said last month during the Sixth Prodexpo Conference and Exhibition for Real Estate.

Mr. Liaskos mentioned that, for the first time, a national zoning plan is being drafted for the development of tourism and the protection of the environment and mentioned that the ministry now has a zoning planning department responsible for zoning organization and drafting of special studies on land effects as well as a studies section that focuses on tourism-related areas that need special attention.

The deputy minister also talked about the strategic plan of the Tourism Development Company (ETA).

It’s entire property portfolio includes a total of 360 state properties, and the decisions made by the ministerial committee for privatizations about the utilization of state properties through private investments. “The property of the Greek National Tourism Organization, linked with the National Zoning Plan and the Investment Incentives Law and making the most of the recently-passed law for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), offers the Greek and international business community a set of investment opportunities.

“These are for the realization of investment programs of small and large scale with high attractiveness and returns,” Mr. Liaskos said.

Meanwhile, the deputy minister has extended until March 2006 the deadline for hotels and rooms to let to secure the special operating licenses. The ministerial decision says all accommodations with expired licenses can have new ones issues provided all their documents are submitted by March 31, 2006. The exception is the fire safety license, which must be valid at all times.

Olympic Utilization General Secretary Spyros Kladas assured the conference that, through the Olympic Properties tenders and the PPPs, the viable management of the Olympic heritage will be secured in a way that will cover maintenance costs and ensure profits for investors and significant resources for local authorities while creating between 9,000 and 14,000 new jobs.