The Culture Ministry, in cooperation with the European Commission, is putting together a plan to better exploit its significant assets in the Medieval City of Rhodes and to elevate the profile of the UNESCO World Heritage site in a bid to wean it off mass tourism.

The ministry owns 365 properties in the southeastern Aegean island capital’s historic quarter, 50 of which are on the site’s main thoroughfare. 

Under the new plan, it will create three zones: The “monumental” zone foresees the transformation of properties into luxury accommodation and cultural venues. For the residential zone, it is planning incentives to attract new residents to the area, with some of the properties being turned into more affordable boutique hotels, while existing and new tenants in the commercial zone will be given incentives to upgrade their businesses, with a focus on a circular economy model that will help promote local products and craftsmanship. 

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.