EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR SPELEOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN GREECE A provision laid in Law 2557/1997 (Gov. Gazette A’271) stipulated that by joint decision of the Ministers of Development and Culture, the Ministry of Culture would be assigned spaces under the GNTO’s supervision with archaeological or speleological interest, to ensure the archaeological or any other relevant scientific research. Furthermore, that the Minister of Culture shall expel from those spaces anyone who possesses or uses them. In addition, Article 10 par 28 of Law 3207/2003 (Gov. Gazette A’302) stipulates that “the expulsion automatically terminates any agreement concluded between the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) or the company under the name “Greek Tourism Properties SA” and any third-party concerning places assigned to the Ministry of Culture”. Article 36, subpar 3 of Law 4049/2012 (Gov. Gazette A’35) transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (now Culture and Sports), without return, the ownership of real estate property belonging to the GNTO, whose management and exploitation belonged to the Public Properties Company. Among them, an area of 179.230 m² and the cave of Petralona Cave in Chalkidiki, and Koutouki Cave in Paiania, an area of 103,000 m². The transfer was repeated with Ministerial Decision ΥΠΠΟΤ/ΔΑΑΠ/Φ.01 ΓΕΝ/19007/422 (Gov. Gazette A’929). It’s worth to mention that the Cave of Petralona in Chalkidiki is a classic case of cave management transfer to the Ministry of Culture, not done immediately however, as it was followed by many years of judicial disputes. The cave had been assigned by the Greek National Tourism Organization to the Anthropological Association of Greece. The judicial disputes for the management of the cave lasted three decades, until 2011 when Decision no. 88/2011 by the Council of State was issued and the cave was assigned to the Ministry of Culture. By the same law (Article 35, par 1), real estate property and land owned by the GNTO, managed and exploited by the Public Properties Company was transferred to Municipalities. Currently, the Public Properties Company is owner and manager only of the Dyros caves in Lakonia and has undertaken the project of restoration and promotion of the Caves through their integration, since May 2012, in the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship”, with the title “Restoration and promotion of the Caves and building facilities of Diros Prefecture of Laconia – Phase II”. It worth mentioned that the Hellenic Public Properties Company (HPPC) SA is making excellent use of the new digital technology. Following today’s international promotional methods for cultural and historical sites, it is giving the opportunity to visit the Diros Caves through 3D Virtual Tours.
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