Mega-project on Astypalaia in the works

One after another, islands that until today were considered alternative or generally far off the beaten track are changing in appearance. Astypalaia is now heading in this direction, with plans to build a new village of tourist residences the size of the island's capital, Chora. At the same time, the number of applications for building permits has doubled in the past year and a half, almost all of them for tourist accommodation and apartments, and the island's ring road is already witnessing a surge in construction activity.

According to the mayor of Astypalaia, Nikos Komineas, a major hotel group began exploratory contacts on the island about a year ago, with the aim of making a major tourism investment. According to Kathimerini, this proposal has now been submitted to the authorities for approval. It was submitted by an Athens-based real estate development company and...