Filenews 6 May 2022 - by Eleftheria Paizanos
The path of self-catering accommodation "Airbnb" seems to be taken by the hostels, as DISY and DIKO attempt to institutionalize their establishment and operation. Yesterday, a law proposal was submitted to the Plenum of the Parliament proposing the establishment of a licensing framework and the creation of a register for the registration of hostels, which will be maintained by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.
At the same time, the law proposal defines the technical and functional specifications, as well as the safety and health standards in relation to the operation of hostels. As argued by the rapporteurs of the proposal, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis of DISY and Chrysis Pantelidis of DIKO, legislative regulations are necessary to regulate the gap observed due to the absence of a legislative framework for the operation of hostels. At the same time, they note that the proposals will ensure the quality of the services provided by the hostels. Their owners, in order to be registered in the relevant register of the Deputy Ministry, must submit specific documents and certificates.
Under the legislation on self-catering accommodation, those that are not registered are prohibited from being made available and advertised for short-term rentals on various online platforms such as "Airbnb". The Deputy Ministry, if it detects premises that are advertised or rented without having been registered, may proceed to the imposition of penalties and fines. Something similar will apply to hostels.
Eleftheria Paizanos
