Greece Expects More Happy Campers this Year

Camping sites across Greece are expecting an increase in the number of vacationers with bookings picking up pace, according to Konstantinos Papadopoulos, president of the Panhellenic Camping Association.

Free camping is banned in Greece.

Papadopoulos told the Athens News Agency that 300 or more camping sites countrywide account for 17 percent of all hospitality.

The majority of travelers choosing to camp in Greece are repeat customers and come from Italy, France and Germany, with the average cost for one night at a camping site starting from 10 euros per person a night.

Papadopoulos noted that the viability of the camping industry is under threat due to the uncontrolled free (wild) camping at the expense of both legal businesses and the environment.

Meanwhile, with regard to a recent amendment to the 1976 camping law which until recently strictly prohibited all camping with a tent or camper in the wild, Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura said in a written statement that the issue is of main concern to all European countries, given that protection of the environment, archaeological sites, seashores and forests, is a priority and that it is permitted in certain instances if the relevant conditions are met and rules enforced.

According to the same statement, the amendment was meant to among others liberalize the circulation of campers in efforts to attract more tourists to Greece, boost development and strength the economy.