New Bill to Modernize Greece’s Tourism Sector Opens for Public Discussion

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

A new bill aimed at modernizing Greece’s tourism sector and promoting sustainable practices is open for public deliberation until June 25, the Tourism Ministry announced this week.

More specifically, the draft bill titled “Strengthening Tourist Infrastructure and Education” covers urban planning and licensing issues, the development and promotion of special interest tourism products such as health, spa, fishing and wine tourism, the enhancement and upgrade of tourism education, updates of professional standards and regulations for tourist guides, aligns timeshare rentals with EU rules, streamlines operations for Destination Management and Marketing Organizations (DMMOs) and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, and addresses other issues impacting tourism development.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions that accelerate and simplify licensing and spatial planning issues for the development of tourist accommodation and Glamping facilities as well as tourist port and mountain refuge infrastructure.

The new bill can be accessed here.

Meanwhile, an ongoing request of Greek hoteliers, the regulation of short-term rentals (Airbnbs), has been pushed back and will be covered in a separate bill.

Late last year, the government tabled a spatial planning bill setting limits to Airbnb-style operations, allowing the construction of tourism resorts on uninhabited  islands and defining shoreline use. The proposed legislation divided the country into five zones based on saturation levels and set development limits.