Tourism Law in Europe

1 Tourism Law in Greece Dimitris Mylonopoulos 1 1. Introduction; 2. The Institutional Framework of Tourism; 3. Main Areas of Tourist Activity; 4. Types of Accommodation; 5. Main Administrative Bodies; 5.1. Ministry of Tourism; 5.2. Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy; 5.3. Ministry of Rural Development and Food; 5.4. Ministry of Health; 6. Conclusion; References. 1. Introduction Tourism constitutes a key pillar of a country’s economic growth. Likewise, in Greece, it is one of the most critical and fast-growing sectors of the economy, with its infrastructure having dramatically developed, offering a wide variety of tourist facilities, such as tourist ports, golf courts, luxury hotels, thermal tourism facilities, ski centres, amusement parks, among others. As of 2017, the Tourism Gross Domestic Product (GTP) accounted for 6.8% of total Gross Value Added, and the tourism sector directly employed 381.800 people, in 2018, estimating 10.0% of the total employment in the country (OECD, 2020: 181-182). That same year, inbound tourism to Greece recorded 33.1 million international tourist arrivals (9.7% increase over 2017), while domestic tourists made 5.7 million trips in 2018, 3.6% more than in 2017 (OECD, 2020: 184). Public authorities at the local, regional and national levels have a prominent role and responsibility in the creation of favourable conditions to the sustainable development in tourism. Accordingly, there are opportunities in tourism for elderly travellers, eco- tourism, spa and luxury tourism, yachting tourism and so on, upgrading the tourism value chains which aim at higher market segments and diversify tourism activities into becoming less dependent on seasonal tourism (OECD, 2020). 1 Professor at the University of West Attica ; dimilon@uniwa.gr.