28.02.2024
The bill on the establishment and management of luxury campsites, ” glampings “, which has been in parliament for almost a year, is being reintroduced to the plenary session of the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism. While reviewing the bill, which has been delayed since July 2023, the committee decided to present it to the House of Representatives in the next session. A committee meeting was also scheduled with the participation of Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Kumis to discuss possible amendments to the bill.
Initial bill introduced by former Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios , was rejected by parliament in the summer of 2022.
Despite minor changes, the bill has been on the ballot since July 2023. However, during the presentation of the budget of the Ministry of Tourism, Deputy Minister Costas Koumis championed the promotion of bills related to luxury camping and visitor farms, emphasizing their importance for tourism development. The bill was subsequently reintroduced to plenary with minimal changes, but voting on it remained delayed from July 2023.
The proposed bill aims to update the rules governing the establishment and operation of tourist campsites under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Regulation Act. Key points include:
- Introduction of new categories of wheeled vehicles that can be used for accommodation in tourist campsites.
- Introduction of rules and regulations for the creation and operation of luxury campsites (“ glamping ”).
- Classification of tourist campsites into categories: luxury, class A , class B and unclassified, as well as other categories of tourist accommodation.
- Modernization of requirements for the classification of tourist campsites and the introduction of requirements for their classification as “ glampings ”.
- Making it a criminal offense to use the term ” glamping ” without holding a license to operate, as required by the proposed legislation.
- Require glamping sites to work with a focus on protecting the environment, flora and fauna of the area in which they operate, and to strictly adhere to management plans for the Natura 2000 network and other protected areas.
- Ensuring that the European ” EU Eco-label ” for ” glamping ” sites is obtained within twenty-four months of receiving the first operating license.
