14 Q&As on the new spatial planning framework for tourism: what changes in saturated areas on islands and mainland Greece

The caller model introduces stricter minimum onshore requirements successful high-pressure areas and a differentiated attack to the tourism merchandise depending connected the strength of tourism development, the pressures already faced by each destination, arsenic good arsenic its circumstantial geographical and biology characteristics.

The authorities has published fourteen utile questions and answers regarding the caller Special Spatial Framework for Tourism, which volition enactment a halt to unregulated tourism construction, introducing stricter minimum onshore requirements successful high-pressure areas and a differentiated attack to tourism improvement depending connected intensity, existing pressures successful each destination, and its geographical oregon biology characteristics.

The questions and answers

1. What is the Special Spatial Framework for Tourism (SSFT)?

The Special Spatial Framework for Tourism is simply a nationalist program that determines wherever and nether what rules tourism tin make successful the country.

The SSFT aims to specify strategical guidelines and medium- to semipermanent objectives astatine nationalist level for the spatial enactment of the tourism sector, based connected economic, environmental, and societal sustainability.

Its extremity is to guarantee tourism improvement is much organized and sustainable, portion protecting the earthy environment, section communities, and the unsocial individuality of each area.

In elemental terms, the SSFT:
• sets clear, unified, and transparent rules for caller tourism investments,
• amended organizes the improvement of hotels and tourism infrastructure,

2. Why did Greece not person a Special Spatial Framework for Tourism until now?

The erstwhile Special Spatial Framework for Tourism, established successful 2009, was annulled by the Council of State for procedural reasons related to its support process – not its substance.

As a result, for galore years the state lacked a modern and updated strategical instrumentality for spatial tourism planning, during a play erstwhile Greek tourism was increasing dynamically and facing caller challenges specified arsenic clime alteration and accrued unit connected fashionable destinations.

In this context, the caller Special Spatial Framework for Tourism comes to capable this spread and found wide rules and guidelines for tourism improvement astatine nationalist level, aiming to equilibrium development, biology protection, and prime of life.

3. What are the main objectives and strategical directions of the SSFT?

The main nonsubjective of the SSFT is to make tourism nether sustainability principles and with respect to the characteristics of each region.

The caller model seeks to amended the wide tourism experience, beforehand alternate forms of tourism beyond the “sun and sea” model, and widen the tourism play done prime and modern infrastructure.

At the aforesaid time, it promotes the dispersal of tourism enactment crossed much regions, supports thematic tourism forms, and links tourism with taste and earthy resources arsenic good arsenic different sectors of the economy.

It besides aims astatine amended enactment of destinations nether pressure, clearer spatial readying rules, and stronger coordination of readying systems.

Additionally, it strengthens infrastructure improvement and focuses connected clime adaptation and reducing the biology footprint of tourism.

4. How are areas categorized based connected tourism organisation and what is the criteria?

The classification is based connected tourism intensity, chiefly considering the fig of tourer beds successful narration to the country and imperishable colonisation of each municipal unit.

Areas are divided into 5 categories:
(A) Controlled Development Areas
(B) Developed Areas
(C) Developing Areas
(D) Early Development Areas
(E) Special Development Enhancement Areas

Islands (except Crete and Evia) are further classified into 3 groups based connected size, with antithetic improvement conditions for each group. Group I includes islands implicit 250 sq. km., portion smaller islands autumn into much specialized categories with stricter biology extortion rules.

5. What are the applicable implications of this classification?

The classification determines the conditions nether which tourism tin make successful each area, including the benignant of permitted investments, minimum onshore requirements for hotels, maximum capableness successful beds, and biology extortion rules.

In Controlled Development Areas (A), precedence is fixed to upgrading existing facilities, with stricter rules for caller hotels. A minimum of 16 acres is required for caller off-plan hotels, and a maximum of 100 beds applies connected islands.

In Developed Areas (B), improvement is allowed nether little strict conditions, with a minimum of 12 acres for caller hotels and up to 350 beds connected islands.

In Developing Areas (C), determination is greater flexibility for caller tourism development. Early Development Areas (D) absorption connected mild improvement of emerging destinations, portion Special Development Areas (E) absorption connected peculiar forms of tourism.

Group I islands let larger-scale improvement but necessitate elaborate studies connected carrying capacity. Smaller islands successful Groups II and III are taxable to stricter biology extortion and gathering limitations.

6. What changes successful minimum onshore requirements for caller hotels successful off-plan areas?

Until the constitution of zoning rules done spatial readying tools, the minimum onshore requirements are:
(A) 16 acres
(B) 12 acres
(C), (D), and (E): 8 acres

Only 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels are allowed successful categories A, B, and C.

7. What applies to coastal zones?

The model introduces strict coastal extortion rules.

In the 0–25 metre portion from the shoreline, each caller operation is prohibited, but for accessibility works, exigency access, and circumstantial ineligible interventions related to the coastal zone.

8. How is extortion of areas wrong the National Protected Areas System addressed?

The model introduces further extortion guidelines, emphasizing mild and sustainable tourism development.

It ensures biology protection, scenery preservation, and biodiversity conservation done stricter gathering rules and biology appraisal requirements.

9. How does the SSFT impact short-term rentals?

It provides a model for regulating short-term rentals, including:
a) conditions for spot use
b) duration limits per year
c) zoning restrictions oregon bans
d) limits connected caller short-term rental proviso successful high-pressure areas

10. How does it impact existing permits and approved plans?

Existing permits and already approved projects, arsenic good arsenic those with submitted biology licensing files that person received completeness approval, are not affected.

The SSFT serves arsenic a guiding model for lower-level spatial plans, which indispensable gradually align with its provisions.

11. How does the SSFT align with different activities affecting tourism?

It provides guidelines for coexistence betwixt tourism and different sectors specified arsenic industry, extraction activities, renewable energy, and aquaculture.

The purpose is amended spatial coordination, reduced conflicts, biology protection, and sustainable tourism development.

12. How does the 2024 draught disagree from the existent version?

The existent substance is mostly the aforesaid arsenic the 2024 draft. Changes stem chiefly from nationalist consultation feedback and argumentation adjustments aimed astatine stronger biology protection, particularly for islands, Natura areas, and delicate landscapes.

The revisions besides purpose to bounds scattered operation successful off-plan areas and beforehand a much sustainable tourism exemplary with higher biology standards.

13. How does the Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism (ΕΧΠ-Τ) align with different activities that impact tourism?

The ΕΧΠ-Τ sets retired guidelines for the coexistence of tourism with different important sectors of activity, specified arsenic industry, extractive activities, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), aquaculture, and others.

The purpose is amended spatial enactment of antithetic onshore uses and activities, truthful that imaginable conflicts are reduced, the situation and scenery are protected, and the sustainable improvement of tourer destinations is ensured.

14. How does the ΕΧΠ-Τ that was enactment retired for nationalist consultation successful July 2024 disagree from the 1 presented today?

The substance that is being publicized contiguous is, to a precise ample extent, the aforesaid arsenic the 1 that was submitted for nationalist consultation successful 2024. Any changes to the regulations and guidelines chiefly resulted from comments during the consultation process, arsenic good arsenic from the governmental volition of the 2 Ministries proposing the draught Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD), with an accent connected accrued biology extortion of the land space, delicate landscapes, Natura areas, and the simplification of scattered gathering successful off-plan areas and the wider non-urban environment.

These provisions person a wide biology footprint and astatine the aforesaid clip beforehand and promote mild tourism improvement and a modern tourism exemplary with higher biology standards. In addition, the differences besides stem from the information that successful the years that passed betwixt the consultation and the existent presentation, respective Local and Special Urban Plans person been completed, including studies connected carrying capacity. The valuation of their indicators has led to the adoption of stricter measures regarding gathering activity.