The bill proposing the establishment and management of up-market “glamping” campsites, which has been lingering in Parliament for nearly a year, is being reintroduced to the Plenary by the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism.
During a review of the bill, postponed since July 13, 2023, the committee decided to present it to the full House at the next session.
At the same time, a committee session with Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis was scheduled to review potential amendments to the bill.
The original bill, submitted by former Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios, was rejected by Parliament in the summer of 2022.
Despite minor revisions, the bill has been pending a vote since July 2023. However, during the Ministry of Tourism’s budget presentation, Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis advocated the advancement of bills related to luxury campsites and visitable farms, emphasizing their importance for tourism development.
Subsequently, it was reintroduced with minimal changes, leading it back to the Plenary, but its voting remained pending since July 2023, with no developments until today.
The proposed glamping bill
The proposed bill aims to update regulations governing the establishment and operation of tourist campsites under the Hotel and Tourist Accommodation Regulation Law. Key provisions include:
- Introducing new categories of wheeled vehicles that can be used for accommodation purposes in tourist campsites.
- Introducing regulations concerning the creation and operation of up-market “glamping” campsites.
- Classifying tourist campsites into categories, namely luxury, Class A, Class B, and unclassified, in the same manner as other categories of tourist accommodation.
- Modernising specifications for the classification of tourist campsites and introducing specifications for to classify them as “glamping”.
- Making it a criminal offense to use the term “glamping” without holding an operating license as required by the proposed law.
- Obliging “glamping” campsites to operate with a focus on environmental protection, flora, and fauna conservation of the area in which they operate, and to adhere strictly to the management plans of the “Natura 2000” network and other protected areas.
- Ensuring that the European “EU Ecolabel” for “glamping” campsites is obtained within twenty-four months of receiving their first operating license.
