Parties strongly criticize tourism bill for ‘lack of long-term vision, serving large hotel groups, and not protecting nature enough’
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A draft law by the Ministry of Tourism in parliament introduces innovative regulations for sustainable tourism development, the government said on Friday, while the opposition parties charged that the regulations are tailored to special interests, do not protect the environment, and are far from a comprehensive plan.
The bill was introduced to the parliament’s Standing Committee on Production and Trade, and is titled “Supporting tourism infrastructure and tourism education, upgrading the framework of the exercise of the tour guide profession and timeshare rentals, regulations for tourism agencies, and other regulations to support tourism”.
According to Deputy Sevi Voloudaki, rapporteur for ruling New Democracy, the bill tries to simplify licensing procedures, support alternative forms of tourism, introduce innovation, strengthen the tourism training sector to adapt to new circumstances, and upgrade the legislative framework of tour guiding. She said that several of the regulations aim at resolving long-term issues to modernize the sector and adapt it to environmental and economic needs.
Responding to the introduction of the bill and to Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni’s address to the committee, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance rapporteur Kalliopi Vetta charged that “after five years of rule by New Democracy, there is still no final indication what its tourism strategy is for Greece, beyond introducing bills to ‘take care’ of interests, regulations tailored to specific interests, and patches on behalf of everyone who has access to the political leadership.” Instead, the main opposition deputy said, the bill ignores urgent issues in Greek tourism, such as the protection and support of workers, the support to small and medium-sized enterprises, the restriction of timeshare rentals with institutional measures, sustainable development, cyclical economy, the fundamental upgrade of the tourism product and the management of the climate change’s repercussions.
PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) rapporteur Katerina Spyridaki pointed out that the bill “puts in order, regulates several issues, some of which are surely not urgent issues in tourism. And I wonder how it is possible that we have a draft bill that mentions in its title the support of infrastructures but on the contrary introduces regulations that burden the existing infrastructure, and which in no way promote the balanced distribution of tourism activity.” She also noted that it does not provide workers in the sector with a future prospect, given the low wages, the bad working conditions, and the growing loss of staff who turn to other sectors.
Communist Party of Greece rapporteur Christos Katsotis said the government had prioritized regulations “to satisfy demands by corporations of tourism, a chronic stance of all governments and tourism ministers.” He also said that in order to facilitate investments, the bill “abolishes every legislative regulation that under previous circumstances foresaw some protection of forests, shorelines, mountains, Natura-designated areas and changes in use of land, in order to serve corporate demands.”
The other opposition parties also noted that the bill was set to benefit luxury and large hotel groups without helping smaller hotels survive (Greek Solution rapporteur Stelios Fotopoulos); did not resolve the labor issues between employees and employers or protect locations from over-development (Nea Aristera rapporteur Theano Fotiou); it involved no long-term planning or resolve the cumbersome legislation for spa tourism (Niki rapporteur Komninos Delveroudis); it lacked vision and maintained the model of hyper-tourism (Plefsi Eleftherias rapporteur Alexandros Kazamias); and it benefited private profiteers who will try to build within and beyond their licensing regions (Spartiates rapporteur Ioannis Kontis).
source ANA-MPA
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