The Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Committee discussed on Tuesday the regulation of legislation to provide for the operation of luxury camps and visiting farms.
With regard to Glamping camps, after the relevant bill was rejected by the Plenary of the Parliament, this was reinstated with some improvements. Also, following a proposal by the President of DISY, Averof Neofytou, the adoption of legislation for the establishment and operation of visitable farms, which will be licensed by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, was discussed.
Regarding the farms to be visited, the President of the Committee, DISY Member of Parliament, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis said that based on the agricultural activity, the opportunity is created for the farmer, the livestock breeder, “to create additional supplementary income”. He stated that the proposal was welcomed by all the guests, while there were suggestions that will be taken very seriously in order for the legislation to be complete and implemented as soon as possible.
“We, in turn, welcome the filing of this law proposal. We assure that we will promote it in the fastest way, so that both our tourism and the agricultural economy have this very useful tool at their disposal. There are huge numbers of interested visitors in the world who would like to experience some days in a natural environment, in an agricultural activity”, he noted.
In relation to the bill on luxury camps, Mr. Hatzigiannis said that it was re-submitted, after it was rejected by the Plenary, taking into account the environmental concerns of the Parliament. “That environmental vaccination has been done in a way that we lock in any abusive intentions or developments,” so as not to become indiscriminate, as he said. “We made good additions, the text will be completed and we will have it before us in the Plenary Session of the Parliament”. they said that a relevant bill is being prepared, while the Deputy Minister of Tourism fifteen days ago in the budget debate mentioned that it is in the final stage and will soon be submitted to the Parliament. “Today Mr. Neophytos' plan arrived, just before the Parliament closed and I don't know if the text is the same”, he noted.
“It is important that whatever we are going to do, we must do it solely to help our farmers and ranchers, with care so as not to serve any vested interests,” he concluded.
In his statements, the Member of Parliament of DIPA-Cooperation, Michalis Giakoumi, said that the regulation for Glamping type camps includes provisions for the protection of the environment, the installation of hydraulic and sewage systems, as well as for the installation of photovoltaics.
“Both the luxury camps and the visiting farms enrich the tourism product of our country, contribute to the development of the mountainous regions and create a new category of tourism, based on the experience and training of the visitors”, noted Mr. Giakoumi.< /p>
“Beyond the sun and the sea, our country can utilize the countryside both to upgrade our tourism product and to strengthen the economy”, he concluded.
Charalambos Theopeptou, President of the Environmental Movement, said that there are still problems with the bill. “The planning department is not ready to tell us where glamping will be allowed and they will include it in the special developments, which could be anywhere.” He also noted that it is important to carry out an annual audit and that it is forbidden for those who are going to operate such structures to request a derogation, especially if they are located in environmentally sensitive areas.
Mr. Theopeptou also emphasized the necessity of defining operating regulations and what exactly is defined as glamping, so that there are no deviations. “Finally, the Department of the Environment, which we expected to be combative, even to prevent the construction of glamping, made recommendations, which relaxed the operation by leaving the eco-label because it is considered difficult to implement,” he said .
Referring to the proposal for visiting farms, the President of Ecologists noted that those who deal with the environment “shudder” when they hear the phrase visiting farm. “The reason is simple. The first time we saw them was at the inspiration of the government to build them in the protected areas of Akama. And now we have a bill that came from DISY and it refers to a visiting farm”.
He noted that he would support “passionately the creation of the visiting farm”, as it is done in Europe, “where a farmer or a breeder can host people on his farm, have an extra income, be able to take a family to enjoy life in nature, the children of the family can mix with the animals, gain experiences”. “Not to make special constructions in areas and call them a 'visiting farm', another kind of tourist accommodation, which I will find the opportunity to place and place in protected areas,” he concluded.