ATHENS – After acknowledging something must be done to deal with too many tourists in the same places straining infrastructure, especially on islands, a plan to deal with it is to open the door for more and luxury resorts everywhere.

That includes on allegedly protected environments and now uninhabited islands as the New Democracy government – which said it wants to increase access to public beaches – is wooing the rich, more foreign investors and luxury accommodations.

The new Special Zoning Plan for Tourism not only doesn’t put limits on developments but encourages them in line with a growing number of luxury hotels and resorts taking over public beaches, including on the so-called Athens Riviera.

The scheme centered around promoting large tourist facilities, including hotels, villages and villas to be allowed essentially everywhere, including in areas that were supposed to be off-limits, said Kathimerini.

That’s even in already overwhelmed areas like Santorini and on Mykonos, where developments are rampant and a civil engineer who worked there was murdered in Athens, and the island said to be under the control of organized crime.

Those are among the few considered already so saturated they can’t handle more facilities but the plan instead will let more be built on other islands and areas not yet overwhelmed.

Two small areas on Syros and Tinos also will have some development controls but not Paros, Antiparos or Ano Koufonisi as investors are lining up to build more facilities, most aimed at high-spending tourists.

The report said no substantial restriction is foreseen on creating more tourism units despite growing complaints and fears that too much tourism in some spots will ultimately drive people away, especially on islands where it’s spreading.

The quota for large tourist units on the islands has been removed although the government said it would try to control them but has turned toward seeking more over the gripes of municipal officials on islands and many residents.

Big developments pushed and organized resorts aren’t going to be allowed only on rocky islets and some uninhabited islands and more construction being pushed such as those further consuming public beaches made essentially private.