You are thinking of a tourist investment in an “all inclusive” hotel? You dream of providing your guests with all possible comforts in terms of food and drink, spa and sports, entertainment and leisure? You count your money and realize you need a good portion of state subventions? You can simply…. Forget it! Greece considers this system as damaging for the Greek tourism industry. Then “all inclusive” hotel guests eat, drink and enjoy themselves inside the compound and leave shopkeepers, taverna owners and bartenders sit alone on their overcharged services. That’s what the Ministry of Tourism must have thought.
Athens News Agency reported today of state incentives in order to reduce the number of «all inclusive» hotels. These are included in the proposals of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the Ministry of Economy on the list of the criteria of tourist investments in the new development law.
Deputy Tourism Minister Giwrgos Nikitiadis in a letter sent Friday to Minister of Development L. Katseli refers to the need for limiting the operation of the «all inclusive» and notes that the criteria of the new development law will be adjusted accordingly.
In particular, the proposals state that the investor should sign an affirmation, that for at least five years after the investment, the hotel unit of 4 or 5 stars will not work as “all inclusive” and will not cooperate with travel agencies that promote similar tourists’ packages.
Under the new development law the operation of the hotel will be close monitored and undergo periodical inspections by Ministry of Development for the period of five years.
Should inspectors catch a hotel guest eating without being charged, drinking without paying or doing Pilates fee free, then “the investor will be required to return 30% of the subvention”.
Giwrgos Nikitiadis, born in New York, spent his childhood on the island of Kos and is a deputy of Dodecanese. He must know what he is talking about, his voters must have put pressure. Kos and Rhodes have a glut of all inclusive hotels, that’s true. But it is also true that the tourist services Greece provides target mostly the middle classes from Europe, Western and Eastern alike. In times of economical crisis an “all inclusive” vacation is a good alternative for the modest budget. One should not wonder to see tourists’ armies landing on the Turkish coast with all these huge ‘all inclusive’ hotels, cheap prices and a more hospitable service. Turkish coast is only miles opposite Dodecanese and much to my knowledge a foreign tourist does not care much if he enjoys the sun from this or the other side of the Aegean.
I personally am a fan of a good all inclusive vacation, where I can enjoy changing lunch and dinner buffets with fresh and good quality products, a relaxing or refreshing spa treatment and water sports at a moderate fee and activities like Pilates, Yoga, Latin dances and Aquaerobics free of charge. Not to forget all these free drinks and snacks through out the day. Of course, I have paid for them, but they would have costed me double and triple if it wouldn’t be for all inclusive.
