Sunbed wars erupt in Greece as drones are used in crackdown at tourist hotspots after locals complained beaches were being 'taken over' by umbrellas
- Bars and hotels need a licence to put loungers but many have flouted the rules
- Angry locals have taken action as part of the so-called 'beach towel movement'
Greece is using drones to crack down on sunbeds 'taking over' the country's idyllic beaches this summer amid complaints from locals about mass tourism.
Angry locals have been taking action as part of the so-called 'beach towel movement' - which began last year and has seen thousands protest against paying extortionate prices to use sun loungers.
Now new rules have been brought in dictating that umbrellas and deck chairs must be at least four metres from the sea.
Bars and hotels also need a licence to put loungers, umbrellas, tables and chairs out on beaches - with a large proportion of the seafront required to be free of them altogether.
As British tourists flock to Greece for their summer holidays, the authorities are using satellites, AI and an app to enforce the new rules and root out the 'illegal' use of sunbeds on thousands of the country's beaches.
Aerial footage shows a drone patrolling one beach after the new rules were brought in earlier this year
New rules have been brought in dictating that umbrellas and deck chairs must be at least four metres from the sea
Locals have riled against extortionate sun lounger prices and beaches being 'taken over' by beds and umbrellas
Video shows a drone being flown over rows of beds on the Halkidki peninsula - a holiday hotspot renowned for its stunning beaches.
The first drone flights began in May, and have spotted rule breakers on Pefkochori beach who did not have a licence to set up shop so close to the water.
Pensioner Evgenia Rapti, who has a summer home near Pefkochori beach, is one of many outraged by the dramatic growth of Greece's tourism industry.
'The whole beach has been taken over' with tables, chairs and deckchairs, the 64-year-old pensioner said.
'When we bought our house 40 years ago, it was completely different,' she recalled wistfully. 'The beach was empty and it was nice to lie there.'
Over on the popular tourist island of Rhodes, officials recently suspended the operation of a beach bar who had even put sunbeds in the sea.
'The problem with beaches in Greece is entrepreneurs who, either with a permit or through encroachment, cover parts of the coast with sunbeds, umbrellas, tables and even permanent structures,' said beach activist George Theodoridis, who is part of a Halkidiki group that has over 12,000 members on Facebook.
Many have riled against extortionate sun lounger prices - with two mattresses and a parasol for a day usually costing between 20 and 40 euros ($21-43), but the more exclusive resorts charging as much as 100 euros.
The first drone flights began in May in the Halkidiki region, and have already spotted rule breakers
Greece is turning to satellites and AI to crack down on the 'illegal' use of sunbeds, umbrellas and chairs on 8,000 of its beaches
Luxury resorts along Greece's many coasts are considered the worst offenders, with critics accusing them of essentially creating private beaches using public land and charging hundreds of dollars a day.
The 'beach towel revolt' which began on the island of Paros last summer became a nationwide movement, with Greeks who were fed up with paying such high sums to enjoy beaches taking to the streets to voice their concerns.
Efthymia Sarantakou from the University of West Attica told the BBC last year: 'There is a] long-standing lack of oversight, which has led to increased impunity.'
The academic added that the failure of government to intervene and allow Greek citizens, many of whom are still reeling from the Eurozone crisis, to enjoy public beaches lead to businesses taking on a 'mafia-like' role in society.
'There are allegations of civilians being intimidated by beach bar employees when they tried to sit on what remained as a free part of the beach.'
Under the new regulations, up to 70 per cent of Greek beaches must now be free from sunbeds, while protected areas must be 85 per cent free.
Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has now vowed to come down hard on businesses who are flouting the rules.
'When we say there will be order on the shore, we mean it,' he said.
His ministry expects to award more than 1,200 new beachfront leases this year in a bid to regularise the situation, on top of the 6,500 that already exist.
Sunbathers stand in a beach bar on the Halkidiki Peninsula, on June 7, 2024
Some 6,000 complaints from the public have been logged nationally on the new official MyCoast app since April, including 680 for the Halkidiki region east of the second city Thessaloniki.
'I can click directly in the app at the location where I am and file a report saying that (this private operator) does not have a licence,' Theodoridis said.
But tourism operators have taken issue with the new system, with many complaining that state services handling their applications are severely understaffed.
Anastasia Halkia, the mayor of the Halkidiki municipality of Kassandra, said inspections there that used to be handled by five local councils have fallen to two staff from the state land service, one of whom just retired.
'It's something new, so we are all moving gingerly to see how it goes,' she said.
Sofia Papagiannidou, a 23-year-old tourism manager, said her company had submitted all the required paperwork - but was still waiting even though the season was already underway.
'I have no faith in the Greek state,' said another operator who declined to be identified.
'My business was fined 39,000 euros last year, and the procedure to collect the fine is still incomplete.
'So technically we have no licence to operate, but we are still working' unofficially, he said.
Greece is currently seeing a post-pandemic tourist boom, with nearly 33 million people visiting last year - five million more than in 2022.
