Adamos Adamou
For another year, the owners of the premises will have at their disposal to register in the Register of Self-catering Accommodations of the Ministry of Tourism. The relevant bill submitted by the members of the Trade Committee of the Parliament will be before the Plenary Session of the House next Thursday and is expected to be voted in favor, since it has the “blessings” of the Ministry of Tourism.
As AKEL MP Costas Costa told “F”, the aim of the extension that will be given is to facilitate the owners of self-catering accommodation to register in the register of the state ministry, due to the difficulties that are faced today. The proposal envisages, in particular, an amendment to the Law on the Regulation of the Establishment and Operation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations, in order to extend the transitional period for registration of self-catering accommodation in the Register of Self-catering Accommodations, for another year, ie until February 7. The extension is considered necessary, as a large number of owners of self-catering accommodation were not able to timely submit applications for registration of accommodation in the said register, due to difficulties encountered in the process of submitting the necessary information.
Mr. Costa explained that, in the same direction, a new amendment of the above legislation will follow, with a bill to be submitted by the Ministry of Tourism, in order to address the various difficulties that arose in registering in this register. Without these changes, for which the Ministry of Tourism was committed, the extension of one year that will be given, the AKEL MP added, would be a free gift.
It is worth noting that the activation of the specific articles of the legislation on the subject, which is considered to take place in 2023, will prohibit the availability and advertising of accommodation for short-term rentals on various online platforms such as “Airbnb”, if they are not registered in the register of the Ministry of Tourism. The State Department will be able, in fact, if it identifies premises to be advertised or rented without being registered in the register, to proceed with the imposition of penalties and fines.
