Mykonos

The sustainability of tourism on the Greek islands is being questioned as the number of tourist beds is as much as three or four times greater than the number of permanent residents.

For those of us who spent our summers on Mykonos in the 1980s and 90s, the sight of the Principote club and restaurant on Panormos Beach is nothing short of shocking: a sprawling installation of sofas, cushions emblazoned with gold crowns and, at one point, even carpets on a gorgeous beach where once there was nothing, no loungers nor even umbrellas.

Police on Mykonos have arrested a 71-year-old businessman for carrying out illegal construction on a hotel he owns near Loulos Beach, on the popular holiday island's southeastern coast.

Officers also arrested four foreign nationals and a Greek man who appear to have been employed by the 71-year-old to actually carry out the work, for which the proper license had not been granted.

In the latest twist in the Mykonos saga, a new Environment Ministry legislative provision stipulates that if the Principote and Nammos bars on the island demolish all of their illegal structures by early May, they will pay a minuscule fine of just 500 euros instead of the millions first envisaged.

Officers on Wednesday arrested two men for conducting illegal construction work inside an archaeological site at the western coast of Mykonos.

The owners of the Principote beach club in Panormos on the island of Mykonos started work on Monday to remove some of the illegal constructions for which they have been fined 22.2 million euros.

A cumulative fine imposed on a beach bar in the Panormos area of Mykonos island came to a whopping 33 million euros, according to reports. 

A demolition protocol was issued on Friday for illegal constructions at a beach bar in Psarou on the island of Mykonos.

The protocol was issued following inspections carried out by environmental inspectors from the Ministry of Environment between April 4th and 11th.

The owner has the right to appeal the demolition decision within ten days.

The Holy Fire, flown to Greece each year from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, is set to arrive on a special Aegean Airlines flight on Saturday evening, in time for Easter midnight mass.

Accompanying the Holy Fire on the Aegean aircraft will be a small diplomatic mission and the plane is expected to land at Athens international airport at approximately 6 p.m.

Seven people have been arrested on the island of Mykonos for urban planning violations, reports said on Wednesday.

The arrests were made after officials of the Environment Ministry sent their report to the relevant prosecutor's office.