A new framework of stricter rules for short-term rentals, including the possibility of even banning the activity in tourism-saturated areas, is introduced by the draft Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism, presented yesterday by the Ministries of Environment and Tourism.
For the first time, the plan directly links Airbnb development to the carrying capacity of each destination, paving the way for future geographic restrictions, operational time limits, and interventions affecting newly built homes, especially on islands and in areas under heavy tourism pressure.
According to the draft Joint Ministerial Decision published yesterday, short-term rentals may be subject to “spatially differentiated terms and restrictions,” depending on each area’s classification, special geographic characteristics, and level of tourism pressure.
Within this framework, authorities may impose special conditions on property rentals, annual operating time limits, geographic zones of restriction or prohibition, and limits on new property supply, including newly built homes. These measures could even allow the suspension of issuing and registering new Property Registry Numbers (AMA) in the tax authority’s short-term rental databases.
At the same time, beds offered through short-term rental platforms will now be included in calculations of each destination’s tourism carrying capacity. This is considered especially critical for islands and tourism-saturated areas, where actual tourism pressure is no longer reflected only by hotels but also by the rapid spread of Airbnb-type accommodations.
Revision Window Until the End of June
The government is allowing a 15-day consultation period with tourism stakeholders, citizens, and the market before finalizing the new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism, seeking to ease the first wave of reactions triggered by some of the draft provisions.
The Ministries of Environment and Tourism are opening a new cycle of consultations with market participants, while Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni made it clear during yesterday’s presentation that the text is not final, noting that the draft “is open to improvements.”
Responding indirectly to criticism, Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou publicly invited all interested parties to submit comments and proposals “now that they have the final proposal,” as he put it. According to him, all comments will be collected by May 25, after which the process will continue through the National Spatial Planning Council and then the Central Urban Planning Council (KESYPOTHA). The government’s plan is for the Joint Ministerial Decision approving the final spatial framework to be signed by the end of June.
The minister also emphasized the need to avoid uncertainty in the market, clarifying that investors with mature projects that have already received approval from the competent authorities “will not face problems” and “there will be no surprises.” He stated that the new framework aims to establish “organization and rules for everyone,” linking tourism development for the first time to the carrying capacity of each region.
According to him, the new spatial plan marks the integration of tourism into a unified spatial planning strategy, which will later be specified through local and special urban plans as well as regional spatial frameworks.
“It is not easy. Sometimes it is not pleasant either. Nor cost-free,” he noted, adding that the government wants to leave behind “the fragmentation and unresolved issues of the past” in order to build “tomorrow with planning and structure.”
Minimum Plot Sizes on Islands Increase from 8 to 16 Stremmas
The tourism draft framework sets new rules for the spatial development of tourism and stricter requirements for establishing new tourism facilities. Despite the debate surrounding short-term rental provisions, the main immediate restriction concerns the increase in the minimum required land size for new tourism developments, reaching 16 stremmas (about 4 acres) in the most developed tourism areas and 8–12 stremmas in other categories.
Notably, the classification of “tourism-saturated” areas was based mainly on the ratio of hotel beds to permanent population, without accounting for short-term rental capacity. As a result, in many popular destinations, the real tourism pressure may appear underestimated compared to today’s market reality, where Airbnb-type accommodations have significantly increased the total burden on many regions.
It is also worth noting that the new framework maintains favorable treatment for large organized tourism investments, such as ESCHASE, ESHADA, POTA projects, and integrated tourist resorts, allowing their development in all area categories. However, for most Greek islands — except Evia, Crete, Corfu, and Rhodes — these developments will be subject to a 50% reduced building coefficient.
The 5 Categories of Tourism Development
The new spatial framework classifies the country’s 1,035 municipal units into five categories, mainly based on the ratio of tourism beds to permanent population.
- “Controlled development areas” — the most tourism-burdened regions — include Mykonos, Santorini, Skiathos, and specific municipal units in Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodes, Kos, Tinos, Crete, and other popular destinations. In these areas, new tourism investments are not banned, but the minimum land requirement rises to 16 stremmas unless a larger requirement already exists, while on islands a maximum limit of 100 beds per new unit is imposed.
- “Developed areas” include Athens, Thessaloniki, and destinations such as Paros, Antiparos, Sifnos, Kassandra, and Sithonia. Here, the minimum land requirement increases to 12 stremmas, while on islands the maximum capacity rises to 350 beds.
- “Developing areas” such as Milos, Pelion, and Halkidiki will require a minimum of 8 stremmas, with no limit on the number of beds. Similarly, areas classified as early-development or special-development support zones will also require 8 stremmas and provide additional incentives for tourism investments.
Three Categories of Islands
A separate classification is also introduced for the islands, dividing them into three groups based on their size.
The first category includes large islands over 250 square kilometers, such as Andros, Zakynthos, Thassos, Ikaria, Karpathos, Corfu, Kefalonia, Kythira, Kos, Lesvos, Lefkada, Limnos, Naxos, Rhodes, Samos, and Chios.
The second group includes islands between 20 and 250 square kilometers, such as Aegina, Alonissos, Amorgos, Antiparos, Astypalaia, Ithaca, Ios, Kalymnos, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Leros, Milos, Mykonos, Paros, Patmos, Santorini, Serifos, Sifnos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros, Spetses, Symi, Syros, Tilos, Tinos, Hydra, Folegandros, and others.
On islands in the second category, the construction of new hotels below three stars will not be permitted, while the maximum capacity of new units will be capped at 100 beds.
The third category concerns small islands under 20 square kilometers, which will not be subject to any restrictions.
Finally, an important provision of the new tourism spatial framework is the complete prohibition of construction within 25 meters of the shoreline.
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