ISSN 2184-8793 ISSNe 2975-9056 former ones under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the latter ones under nobody’s explicit responsibility) causes extra problems. The involvement of many different types of stakeholders in the identification and exploitation of caves accentuates malfunctions. The fact that these players often do not have the necessary experience and expertise creates additional problems. The inability to define a single and appropriate policy for the rational exploitation of the country’s speleological wealth aiming at the development of speleotourism is an immediate consequence of this vague institutional framework. Thus, the exploitation of caves as wealth-producing resources relies on the initiative and ability of local institutions that are generally not part of a larger and more effective tourism policy plan. 6. Conclusion From the study of the institutional framework governing caves in Greece, one can conclude that despite the constitutional protection of caves, the necessary legislation for the operation and management of caves has not been issued yet. The involvement of many different institutions in the promotion and management of caves, the lack of a uniform policy, as well as the absence of their promotion leads to a substantial degradation and ignorance of caves. It is proposed the creation of a "registry of touristically exploited caves" be set up along with a clear legislation towards their promotion and touristic development. Furthermore, the differentiation of caves, geographical, cultural or geological, requires their integration into regional plans of tourism policy so that the tourist flows generated are more rational and the promotion of speleotourism as an alternative form and sustainable form of tourism is achieved. In this direction, the program “Kallikratis” according to which the country has been divided into 13 Administrative Prefectures can contribute to a better financial and general development planning. REFERENCES Ballesteros, E.R., & Ramirez, M.H., 2007. Identity and community: Reflections on the development of mining heritage tourism in Southern Spain. Tourism Management, 28(3), pp. 677-687. Buckley, R., 2003. Environmental inputs and outputs in ecotourism: Geotourism with a positive triple bottom line? Journal of Ecotourism, 2(1), pp. 76-82. Budowski, G., 1976. Tourism and Environmental Conservation: Conflict, Coexistence, or Symbiosis? Environmental Conservation, 3(1), pp. 27-31. Chon, K., & Evans, M.R., 1989. Tourism in a rural area: A coal mining-county experience. Tourism Management, 10(4), pp. 315-321.
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