Dozens of Dodecanese hotels close due to expired fire certificates
Just a few days before the start of the tourism season, the Economy and Tourism Ministry has shut down 86 hotels in the Dodecanese after one in 12 units in the popular island complex was found to be violating fire safety regulations.
The ministry’s regional authority for tourism in the Dodecanese temporarily revoked the operating licenses of the hotels on the grounds that their fire safety certificates were out of date, and told local police stations to enforce the decision and prevent the possible illegal operation of the units.
Rhodes, the biggest island in the Dodecanese, saw the closure of 36 hotels, while another 26 had their operating licenses revoked on Kos. The remaining 24 hotels were on other islands including Karpathos, Leros, Kalymnos, Astypalaia and Patmos. Most units which had their license temporarily revoked were small or medium-sized, with either two or three stars, but at least four four-star hotels will not be allowed to open for business until they their fire certificates have been renewed by the ministry’s Tourism Agency.
Any hotels found to be operating without a permit will be shut down for good.
