Stricter beach rules introduced in Greece: What will change
The Greek authorities have tightened beach regulations aimed at improving public access to the country's famous coastline and cleaning up the beaches. This was preceded by large-scale protests by locals last summer, who complained that coastal businesses were pushing them off Greek beaches.
According to Birmingham Live, one of the changes that will come into effect this spring is that 70% of Greek beaches should be free of sunbeds to prevent overcrowding and make the experience more comfortable.
At the same time, this figure will increase to 85% in protected areas, and "untouchable beaches" will be created in environmentally sensitive areas, where sunbeds will be banned completely.
In addition, a minimum distance of four metres will now have to be maintained between sunbeds and the shoreline to make it easier for people to get to the water.
According to the new law, at least half of the beaches must remain open to the public. This is done to prevent the seizure of beach areas by bars and sunbeds with umbrellas for rent, which has reached shocking proportions in Greece in recent years, significantly limiting free access to beaches for vacationers.
The procedure for obtaining the rights to lease beach areas by business representatives will also change. Now they will be distributed through online auctions to avoid any backroom deals and increase transparency.
As TravelWise reported, the main markets for supplying tourists to Greece are showing positive signals. According to preliminary data from airlines and local tourism surveys, the number of tourists in 2024 may exceed the figure for 2023, and Germany, England and France will remain the main players in terms of the number of foreign tourists to Greece in 2024.
