Hoteliers Slam Illegal Accommodation In Northern Greece

GNTO’s regional tourism office of Central Macedonia recently carried out an inspection and discovered that a number of apartments-to-let did not obtain the GNTO seal for operation. Although the Thessaloniki Tourism Police was contacted for assistance it was unable to intervene due to insufficient staff. The Thessaloniki Hoteliers Association called on to the government to give an immediate solution to the illegal accommodation situation.

“These bogus apartments-to-let have not decreased and even more have opened and are even advertised via the most known and reliable tourism sites as establishments that provide high quality services at competitive prices,” the Thessaloniki Hoteliers Association said last month in a press release.

The association once again referred to the many Greek private homes in Thessaloniki that are illegally rented by the day to foreigners for accommodation purposes.

The illegal establishments that appear frequently on the Internet are said to affect the Greek hotel industry and the state as well.

“They lack legal authorization and thus are not consistent with tax obligations when today’s situation requires for all taxpayers to be consistent and to show respect to laws and regulations,” the association underlined.

The association warned that the situation would cause a serious risk to tourism and the image of the city since quality and safety services of such establishments would prove doubtful.

The association called on to the government to give an immediate solution to the problem that is “plaguing the local economy” and strengthen policing to protect the legal hoteliers.