Tourism Min Kefalogianni defends new bill at parliamentary committee meeting

The regulations of the new Tourism Ministry bill "meet the demands of the times and comprise one more step toward the strategic target for a sustainable and quality development of Greek tourism," Minister Olga Kefalogianni said on Friday, speaking at a committee in Parliament.

The bill was in its first reading, and Kefalogianni said that it would also set out rules respecting the natural environment and local communities, as well as simplifying the founding of tourism enterprises and setting supervisory regulations.

Opposition parties criticized the bill as being inadequate to resolve long-standing issues in the tourism sector, and failing to resolve the housing crisis citizens faced while looking for places to rent.