Alternative forms of tourism in Greece and their development directions

*by Stathis Kousounis

What does the new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism, which was put out for consultation, provide for special forms of tourism?

Special reference is made to special forms of tourism in the new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism, which was put out for public electronic consultation until September 15 by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

As mentioned above, special forms of tourism and the special tourism infrastructures associated with them are characterized by dynamic demand and for this reason it is considered necessary to record them and provide relevant guidelines in the Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism under study. It is noted, however, that the recording of special forms of tourism is indicative and not restrictive.

Furthermore, in many cases there are overlaps between different special forms of tourism, or between the latter and the dominant form of sun-sea tourism, which makes the boundaries between the various forms of tourism flexible, and imposes corresponding flexibility in the implementation of the guidelines proposed. The combined use of different forms and infrastructures of tourism is encouraged.

These guidelines focus on issues related to spatial planning and not on sectoral guidelines or relationships with other forms of planning. The following are the proposed guidelines of the Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism for the specific forms of tourism based on their indicative recording.

RURAL TOURISM

Rural tourism is developed in rural areas of interest for tourism, including areas of the National System of Protected Areas, except for areas of absolute nature protection, as well as agricultural (rural) land of high productivity as it has or will be determined in accordance with the institutional framework and procedures of the competent Ministry of Rural Development and Food. In nature protection areas and national parks, forms of nature tourism specific to these areas are permitted (e.g. mountaineering, geotourism) with the necessary accompanying facilities (shelters up to 200 sq.m.), agrotourism, etc. In regional natural parks, the development of rural tourism is encouraged, with the delimitation of eco-development areas with the extension of the relevant possibility outside residential units.

In relation to rural tourism, the following are also mentioned:

• Actions to promote protected areas that have relevant resources (nature, landscape), as poles for the development of nature tourism of a wider scope. Such areas are, in principle, protected areas that have a Management Unit.
• Establishment of local networks, routes – paths, of a multidisciplinary nature with an emphasis on the nature-loving dimension.
• Marking of routes in accordance with the specifications in force in the EU and publication of mountain tour maps and enrichment of the routes with alternative activities (mountain bike trails, horse riding). Inclusion in these, where possible, of traditional settlements with catering and recreational infrastructure.
• Preservation and promotion of elements of the traditional way of life.
• Creation of infrastructure for observing and interpreting nature (e.g. observatories, visitor information centers, museums and mountain refuges).

The new Special Spatial Planning, specializing in the promotion of agrotourism and wine tourism, proposes:

• Strengthening renovation actions of traditional or abandoned buildings and settlements or sets of settlements with the aim of preserving the rural heritage.
• Interconnecting local production with agro-tourism consumption (according to local quality, etc.).
• Strengthening gastronomic tourism with actions to promote Greek cuisine and its individual versions as an important tourist resource.
• Promoting the marketing of quality agricultural products as well as local processed quality products.
• Strengthening the orientation of ongoing European programs for the rural area towards integrated rural development.

GEOTOURISM

Regarding Geotourism, the following is mentioned:

• Highlighting, promoting and visitor activities for the country’s geotopes (volcanoes, caves, canyons, fossil sites, large geological faults, ancient or inactive mines and quarries, landforms and landscapes created by nature over the course of geological centuries) and activities for their integration into tourist networks (thematic or not) depending on the special (general or specific) characteristics they possess.
• Ensuring their accessibility and managing visitor flows with respect for the resilience of each ecosystem.
• Integrating them into tourist networks (thematic or not) depending on the special (general or specific) characteristics they possess.

FISHING TOURISM

Fishing tourism is permitted:

• in marine areas and inland surface waters – lakes, rivers, brackish ecosystems, when recreational fishing is explicitly permitted by the relevant institutional frameworks,
• based on the guidelines of Marine Spatial Planning Frameworks, when these are institutionalized, and
• in leased parts of marine or terrestrial space, with the use of aquaculture, under the conditions set by the licensing framework of these units.
• The development of fishing tourism services in connection with aquaculture units is encouraged.

SPORTS EVENTS TOURISM

For sports tourism, the following are mentioned:

• Facilitate the possibility of additional uses (commercial, catering, recreation, administration) in large sports facilities, through urban planning legislation.
• Development of training centers in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas that have satisfactory access and hotel support, as well as in coastal and lakeside areas for sports activities related to the sea or lakes. Training centers and other related infrastructures should

OUTDOOR SPORTS RECREATION TOURISM

For outdoor sports recreation – adventure tourism, the following are mentioned:

• Creation of trails in the countryside, especially in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas, and their connection with international trails, and by strengthening the creation of networks.
• Development of sports activities in mountainous areas (e.g. mountaineering, climbing, canoeing, rafting, hang gliding, paragliding). Some of these activities can be developed to a lesser extent in semi-mountainous and lowland areas.
• Creation of climbing fields.

SKI TOURISM

For Ski tourism, the following is mentioned:

• Improving accessibility to existing ski resorts: Chelmos (Kalavryta, Regional Unit of Achaia), Mainalos (Tripoli, Regional Unit of Arcadia), Tymfristos (Velouchi) (Karpenisi, Regional Unit of Evrytania), Pelion (Regional Unit of Magnesia), Pertouli (Regional Unit of Trikala), Vernos (Vitsi) (Regional Unit of Kastoria), Karakoli Metsovo (Epirus, Regional Unit of Ioannina), Profitis Ilias Metsovo (Epirus, Regional Unit of Ioannina), Anilios Metsovo (Epirus, Regional Unit of Ioannina), Vasilitsa (Regional Units of Grevena and Ioannina), Vigla Pisoderi (Regional Unit of Florina), Elatochori (Regional Unit of Pieria), Selio (Regional Unit of Imathia), 3-5 Pigadia Naoussa (Regional Unit of Imathia), Kaimaktsalan (Vora) (Regional Unit of Pella), Lailia (Regional Unit of Serres), Falakro (Regional Unit of Drama), Gerontovrachos Parnassos (Regional Units of Boeotia/Phocis/Phthiotis), Pangaio (Regional Unit of Kavala), Agrafa, Municipality of Limni Plastira (Regional Unit of Karditsa), Chrysso Elafi (Regional Unit of Imathia), Anogia – Psiloritis (Regional Unit of Rethymno), Parnassos (Regional Units of Boeotia/ Phocis/Phthiotis), Ziria (Regional Unit of Corinth).
• For the creation of new ski resorts, the expected impacts of Climate Change must be taken into account, and the possibilities of using innovative technologies to address them.
• Expanding the seasonality of the operation of ski resorts with special incentives for the development of mountain sports activities and special sports activities.

Golf

Regarding attracting visitors for golf, the following is mentioned:

• Increase in golf facilities, either stand-alone or in the form of special tourist infrastructure combined with hotel accommodation or integrated into organized tourist activity facilities or into complex tourist accommodation.
• Upgrading of existing golf courses and creation of networks of courses with the aim of creating “golf tourist destinations” in all areas except the Control Areas.
• The location of golf facilities must be compatible with the Management Plan of the relevant water district, with specific relevant documentation in the context of the relevant environmental study.

CYCLING TOURISM

The following are mentioned for cycling tourism:

• Creation of bicycle networks in urban areas
• Creation of a network of bicycle routes in the countryside, and their connection to the trans-European bicycle network.

MARITIME TOURISM

Marine spatial planning frameworks must facilitate the establishment of marine tourism activities, providing a sufficient number of locations where they are permitted.

CRUISE TOURISM

In this context, the following are mentioned for cruise tourism:

• Improvement and modernization of existing and creation of new cruise passenger entry gates (home ports) with modern facilities as a priority in developed and developing areas and urban center areas served by international airports.
• Creation of cruise passenger service facilities (ports of call) in ports that already have the capacity, or can acquire the capacity, to serve large cruise ships and are located in areas of tourist interest.
• Provision for the separation of the port zone into a zone for cruise service and a commercial/passenger-coastal port zone and determination of uses in the port zone for serving cruise tourism with corresponding port and land facilities, and facilitation of development on the outskirts of cruise stations, commercial use areas, entertainment and promotion of local products.
• Development of Tourist Destination Management Plans, which will include the wider areas of the cruise ports, as well as the management of cruise visitors (with the aim of, on the one hand, providing them with optimal service and, on the other hand, protecting the destination from simultaneous arrivals of cruise ships that exhaust the limits of the available infrastructure). In areas of overtourism, these plans should establish quantitative limits on the simultaneous presence of cruise ships.

YACHTING TOURISM

For the development of yachting tourism, the densification of the network of tourist ports (marinas, anchorages, shelters) is mentioned, taking into account:

• The locations of the already designated tourist ports. Particular emphasis is given to the densification of the network in the Ionian Sea, the Eastern and Southeastern Aegean, as well as in gulfs such as the Argosaronic, the Argolic and the Pagasitic.
• Ensuring conditions for satisfactory service and refueling of tourist vessels through rational dispersion of tourist port infrastructure with the aim of forming a network at indicative shortest sailing distances of 30 nm. between marinas and 15 nm. between marinas and shelters or anchorages. Further densification of the network is examined on a case-by-case basis based on the demand for services and infrastructure for docking tourist vessels or the existence of particular local tourist resources with high traffic. The above indicative distances do not apply to urban areas and popular tourist destinations, for which the demand for berthing places is particularly taken into account.
• The demand for berthing places, as it develops over time.
• The geomorphological and environmental characteristics, the wind and wave elements, the land uses and any existing special protection regimes of the proposed places, which are also taken into account for the selection of the type and scale of the tourist port.

RECREATIONAL DIVING TOURISM

Diving tourism is developing in diving parks, artificial underwater attractions, newer shipwrecks, underwater archaeological sites declared as “visitable”. The networking of diving parks is encouraged.

CULTURAL TOURISM

For Cultural Tourism, the following is mentioned:

• Upgrading and promoting the country’s museum, monumental, archaeological and folklore capital, with priority given to Developing Areas, Areas with Development Potential and Undeveloped Areas of this framework.
• Promoting comprehensive regeneration in combination with Tourism Destination Management Plans (TDM) of the historic centers of cities, with emphasis on the Control Areas and Developed Areas of this framework. Actions to integrate archaeological sites, where relevant, must be included in this planning.
• Promoting comprehensive regeneration in combination with TDM in the surrounding areas of archaeological sites and museums with high visitor numbers.
• Creating cultural routes in areas of spatial planning scale (regional unit and above), which will interconnect concentrations of archaeological sites and monuments, as well as important individual such elements. The same routes should also incorporate significant cultural elements as well as individual natural monuments.
• Promotion of tourist exploitation of large/internationally renowned archaeological excavation sites.
• Facilitation, through land use regulations, of the creation of complementary activities (shops, restaurants, etc.) in the immediate surrounding areas of archaeological sites and museums with high visitor numbers.
• Promotion of film, television and entertainment tourism.
• Exploitation and maintenance of open-air theaters for the promotion of the country internationally in the field of cultural entertainment tourism.

CITY TOURISM (city breaks – city trips)

Regarding Urban Tourism, the following are noted:

• Supporting the role of cities as autonomous short- or long-term tourism destinations (city breaks – city trips) through the upgrading of their special characteristics that increase their attractiveness for visitors and their identity (brand),
• Possibility of converting traditional buildings into tourist accommodation in areas of pure residence and general residence without a maximum bed limit.
• In the event of the withdrawal of legally existing obsolete tourist units, the possibility of transferring the building factor, and the possibility of rebuilding in the same location with the building factor that was in force when the unit was licensed, should be given.
• Possibility of reusing the existing building stock in areas within the plan of any use by converting it into tourist accommodation and supporting uses, provided that they are included in those permitted in the area.
• Implementation of Tourist Destination Management Plans (TDMs) in areas within the plan with a high density of tourist accommodation and/or infrastructure and complementary activities, as well as in adjacent Informal Tourist Clusters.

RELIGIOUS-PILGRIMAGE TOURISM

For Religious – Pilgrimage Tourism, the following is mentioned:

• Development and Implementation of Tourism Destination Management Plans, in the surrounding areas of places, spaces and monuments, buildings, monasteries and temples, related to the history and development of religious activity or generally of religious importance. In these areas, urban planning should facilitate the creation of complementary infrastructure such as, for example, religious events and ceremonies, cultural activities and conference centers.
• Mount Athos is of particular importance in the context of religious tourism. Within the context of self-government, spatial planning should facilitate the development of all activities that directly or indirectly support the religious role and sustainable development of Mount Athos.
• Preservation of the architectural characteristics of the monasteries from new building extensions not adapted to their character.

CONFERENCE TOURISM

For conference tourism, the following are highlighted:

• Development of conference and exhibition tourism in the wider areas of urban centers and preferably in the developed and developing tourist areas of the country. Given the critical importance of the existence of certain very large conference centers with the potential to host international events, the possibility of increasing basic urban planning conditions (building factor, volume factor) with the approval of the competent authority.
• Creation of smaller-scale conference and exhibition tourism facilities in smaller urban centers and other tourist destinations.
• Utilization of existing building stock, through the conversion of large-scale indoor sports facilities (e.g. Olympic facilities) into conference and exhibition venues and the restoration and reuse of valuable old shells as conference and exhibition venues, with the establishment of incentives. Possibility of increasing basic urban planning conditions (building factor, volume factor) with approval of the competent authority.

MEDICAL TOURISM

The facilitation by urban planning of the creation of integrated medical tourism centers, which will include medical infrastructure, infrastructure for hosting patients and companions, and complementary activities and infrastructure, is mentioned. These centers can be established in areas of General Residence, subject to compliance with the limits provided for in them for tourist accommodations, and in areas of Tourism-Recreation.

HEAT-THERMAL TOURISM

Spa tourism centers are permitted in areas that have recognized spa natural resources and the Ministry of Tourism’s Register of Recognized Spa Natural Resources. It is noted that the promotion of the definition of protection zones for spa natural resources and protection measures for each zone is being noted, such as restrictions on land use within the area of ​​each protection zone, with the possibility of defining them through Local and Special Spatial Plans.

WELLNESS TOURISM

The Marine Spatial Frameworks must facilitate the installation of thalassotherapy infrastructure, providing a sufficient number of places where these are allowed. It is also noted that urban planning facilitates the creation of spas and thalassotherapy centers, independently or in combination with 4 and 5 star hotel accommodations, as well as the possibility of using sections of beach and shoreline to support thalassotherapy centers.

OTHER SPECIAL-ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TOURISM tourism

The promotion of entertainment and theme parks is mentioned, either independently or in combination with urban tourism, which may include theme parks, adventure parks, miniature parks, etc. These parks may be combined with other activities such as multiplex cinemas, shopping malls, restaurants, amusement parks, especially in major urban areas.

In addition, in addition to the above special – alternative forms of tourism, other special – alternative forms of tourism are also promoted, which enrich the tourism product of a region. These forms may be linked to local tourist resources and economic activities of each region (industry, energy, fishing, hunting, etc.). The utilization of inactive quarries (beyond landscape restoration) for tourist activities, such as theme parks or other forms of tourism, is envisaged.

SPORADIC HOTEL

It is proposed to introduce the concept of “sporadic hotel” into Greek tourism legislation, starting from the provision for the possibility of creating Complex Tourist Accommodations within abandoned settlements before 1923 or with less than 2,000 inhabitants in combination with the regeneration of part or all of the settlement. It requires legislative regulation and the issuance of the envisaged presidential decree which will determine the specific selection criteria for the relevant settlements, the methods and means of urban planning intervention, the methods of acquiring the required properties, the urban planning and/or financial incentives provided, the implementing bodies of the relevant programs, etc.

Source: travel.gr