- Greeks are frustrated with businesses monopolizing public beaches by charging exorbitant prices for lounge chairs.
- The cost to rent a pair of beach chairs at bars and restaurants on Paros ranges from $70 to $130.
- Angry residents have initiated a “beach towel movement” to reclaim the beaches.
Most rational individuals wouldn’t spend $75 to rent a pair of beach chairs on a public beach.
This sentiment is shared by the Greeks, who are growing tired of beachfront establishments on Paros Island monopolizing the sandy shores with their overpriced lounge chairs, as reported by The New York Times. These businesses have covered the beaches with chairs facing the water and are charging up to 120 euros (or $130) for VIP spots.
Nicolas Stephanou, a 70-year-old local, expressed his frustration to the Times, stating, “In some cases, they covered 100 percent of the beach. We feel like we’re being pushed off the island.”
In response, discontented Greeks have initiated the “beach towel movement” to protest the lack of free space. They have occupied public beaches, carrying signs that read “Reclaim our beaches,” according to the Times.
While the beaches are public, local restaurants, bars, and hotels are permitted to lease portions of the beach. However, locals informed the Times that these businesses are illegally expanding their leased space. To support their claim, they provided drone footage that revealed the vast difference between the leased plots and the actual area occupied by the businesses.
“There were significant discrepancies,” Stephanou shared with the Times. Despite leasing 7,186 square meters last year, the businesses were occupying 18,800 square meters of beach space.
Authorities have conducted some inspections and made a few arrests, but the beach loungers often reappear shortly after the businesses remove them, as reported by the Times.
“Even just five years ago, I could go to any beach and simply enjoy nature, the sand, the water, and the tranquility,” mentioned Ronit Nesher, who permanently relocated to Paros a few years ago, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Now, it’s crowded with lounges and umbrellas, and there isn’t even space to place a towel or a chair or even just sit on the sand.”
Last week, hundreds of locals staged a sit-in on the beach to emphasize their point, as reported by the outlet.
“Is this the future we want for Paros? Without considering the locals and nature?”
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