2024-07-08 23:13:39
The directions that stand out regarding the D.E. of Ioannina, which is classified among the developed areas, together with the D.E. of Parga and Sivota, from the whole of Epirus, is the establishment of a fee in favor of the Green Fund, which will be used for renovations and infrastructures to support tourism, but also the limitation in the number of shared tourism spaces (short-term lease) and simple rental rooms as a percentage of the beds of the main tourist accommodations.
While it is not yet clear how this ratio can be captured, the limitation of short-term rentals is a request of the Hotel Association of the Ioannina prefecture, according to a letter it recently sent to the mayor of Ioannina T. Bega, stating that the short-term rental residences they exceed 500 in the city. In fact, restrictions can still be imposed today, based on Law 4446/2016, for reasons related to the protection of the residence.
The EPA also foresees the preparation and implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (which already exist for the Municipality of Ioannita), the preparation of tourism carrying capacity assessment studies, the strengthening of the infrastructures that support the organization of destinations, the establishment of the possibility of characterizing sections as Activity Areas Intervention and Redevelopment with determination of measures to upgrade or develop the offered tourist product, the preparation of Management Plans for Tourist Destinations, the upgrade and conversion of existing hotel accommodations into an “Organized Form of Tourism Development” (OMAT), the partial or total withdrawal of unworthy, discredited or abandoned buildings of tourism use facilities and the demolition of corresponding buildings, which offend the landscape, and, finally, the provision of incentives for the modernization of existing tourist accommodation by upgrading them (4 or 5 stars/keys ) and additions to the main tourist accommodations with special tourist infrastructure facilities, for the development of special forms of tourism and for the conversion of traditional – preserved buildings into hotel units.
The president of the Union of Hoteliers of the Ioannina Prefecture, Spyros Sourelis, refers to the issue of incentives for the modernization of specific categories of accommodation in his post, in a first reading of the special spatial plan.
“Reading for the first time the Spatial Plan proposed for Tourism, the fact that the Municipality of Ioannito is included in the developed areas, in the same status as the Municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki, is something positive, perhaps of course there will be saturation in other Municipalities of P. E. of Ioannina or rather to be precise in some Municipal Apartments of these Municipalities… On the other hand, to exclude 2 & 3 star hotels in these developed areas from the possibility of modernization and to have to become at least 4 stars in order to receive funding, is something that makes no sense, in all parts of the world there are hotels of all categories and for all tastes and this arrangement, which is constantly included in all funding programs, does not improve the tourist product, it only makes it elitist and large imbalances between businesses in the destinations themselves…”, he says characteristically.
In fact, in the prescribed regulations it is stated that the permitted construction of accommodation is categories 4 and 5, which also applies in the case of an extension of an existing accommodation.
Another direction of the EPA is to limit the creation of new facilities/uses incompatible with tourism (especially industrial/craft facilities, wholesale trade facilities, storage buildings and yards, livestock facilities) and to increase the minimum area required for the construction of hotels on the 12 acres, until the determination of land uses by first-level urban planning tools, in the areas outside the plan and outside the settlement boundaries.
The developing regions
In the developing regions, which include the D.E. Papigos, Perdikas, Fanariou, Zalongou and Preveza, the direction for the utilization of abandoned settlements of architectural interest, with the conversion of buildings into accommodation or with new larger investments with incentives either to the current owners or to interested investors, is of interest.
Also, in this specific category, the provision of incentives for the modernization of existing tourist accommodation (main and/or non-main) concerns the upgrading of these to the 3-star/key category.
Areas with growth potential
The directions of the PES for areas with potential for development are the provision of incentives for the modernization of existing tourist accommodation (main and/or non-main) by upgrading them (3 or 4 or 5 stars/keys), additions to the main tourist accommodation with special tourism facilities infrastructure, possibility of combined operation with special forms of tourism and facilities of special tourist infrastructure, provision of incentives for the development of special forms of tourism and special tourist infrastructure, provision of incentives for the conversion of traditional or preserved buildings into hotel units, utilization of abandoned settlements of architectural interest, with the conversion of buildings into accommodation or with new investments of a larger size with incentives either to the current owners or to interested investors, as in the previous category.
What differs is the definition and support of “tourism destination networks”, with an emphasis on networks that also include destinations of the above categories.
In this category belong the D.E. Anatoli, Bizani, Perama, Nisos of the Municipality of Ioannito, Katsanohoria, Sirrakos-Kalarryto, Pramanto of the Municipality of V. Tzoumerko, the D.E. Metsovo and Milea of the municipality of Metsovo, Evrymenon and Passaronos of the Municipality of Zitsa, Central Zagori and Tymfi of the Municipality of Zagori, the D.E. Konitsas, D.E. Igoumenitsa in Thesprotia, D.E. Acheronta in Preveza and D.E. Artaion, Peta and Filotheis in Arta.
Further incentives in underdeveloped areas
Finally, all the remaining municipal units of the Municipalities of Epirus belong to the undeveloped areas, including entire Municipalities, such as the Municipality of Pogoni and Dodoni in P.E. Ioannina.
The directions for these areas are the provision of incentives for the development of special forms of tourism and special tourist infrastructure facilities, the provision of incentives for the conversion of traditional or preserved buildings into hotel units, the utilization of abandoned settlements of architectural interest, by converting buildings into accommodation or with new, larger investments with incentives, the provision of incentives from the first-level urban planning tools in the context of par. 2 of article 32 and articles 34 to 38 of Law 4759/2020 (such as more favorable building conditions, reduction of required criteria of article 38, etc.).