Fury in Greece as beach on famous island so full of tourists there's even sunbeds in sea

Despite Greek authorities pledging to curb illegal beach activities, violations continue. Pictured is Elli Beach (Image: Getty)

Two years ago, local authorities on the popular tourist island of Rhodes pledged to curb illegal beach operations. Businesses were exceeding leased areas, erecting unlicensed structures, and blocking public access. However, according to the citizens' group Ombrella, violations persist.

The group cites three cases where the illegal activity is taking place, including on the picturesque Elli Beach in Rhodes Town, where one business with a 7,578 square foot (704-metre) lease actually occupies more than 22,600 square feet (2,100 metres), including a restaurant, bar and a massage area built without the necessary permits. Another nearby venue has large pergolas, bars and hedges that obstruct sea views, covering over 21,500 square feet. At Anthony Quinn Beach, a lease for 883 square feet has expanded to more than 12,900, with sunbeds even placed in the water. Ombrella has said such practices violate constitutional rights and harm lawful operators.

At Anthony Quinn Beach, a lease for 883 square feet has expanded to more than 12,900, with sunbeds even placed in the water (Image: Getty)

According to ekathimerini, the state-owned property company ETAD says Rhodes Municipality is responsible for monitoring leases, but it has ordered inspections after learning of the allegations. 

Like elsewhere in Greece, authorities in Rhodes are targeting illegal beach operations by using drone controls and a government app, "My Coast", to enforce regulations. These regulations mandate that a certain percentage of beaches - 70% or 85% in protected areas - remain sunbed-free and that businesses using or renting sunbeds have proper permits.

However, questions continue to be raised about the effectiveness of the action in Rhodes. Last June, the municipal authority ordered the shutdown of a beach bar in the Santra Marina area by the end of the month after inspections uncovered a multitude of zoning violations, including the fact that the business had been illegally built in an archaeological site.

Greece's beach regulations aim to protect the environment and citizens' rights as well as preserve tourism (Image: Getty)

Teams from the island’s land service and port authority, tipped off by users of the MyCoast app, found that the owner of the Santa Marina bar had installed 19 unlicensed metal platforms with sunbeds in the water. The same business had been fined in 2023 for similar violations after a video of a waiter serving customers in the water went viral. Authorities had ordered the demolition of the illegal structures.

The local authority said that "approval was never granted nor would it be possible to grant it for the installation and operation of the business, considering the archaeological legislation, since it has proceeded to illegally occupy the shared seafront and beach area".

As part of the Greek government's regulations introduced last year, sunbeds must be placed at least 13 feet from the shoreline to facilitate beachgoers' easier access to the water. Businesses found in violation of the regulations risk fines of an eye-watering £600,000.

"Our goal is to protect, on the one hand, both the environment and the citizens’ right to free access to the beach, and on the other hand, to preserve our tourist product as well as the healthy entrepreneurship represented by business people who do the job right,” Greek Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis said last year.