Paros Residents Protest Over Mega 5‑Star Hotel with 48 Pools

Residents of Paros and the Parikia Traditional Settlement Association staged a protest in July against a new five‑star hotel being built near Martselos beach. The project, slated to open for the 2024 summer season, includes 46 individual pools and two shared pools, a total of 48, and covers about 700 m².

The community argues that the development exceeds the island’s capacity, stressing that overbuilding and inadequate public infrastructure threaten the tourism product that has driven record arrivals – nearly 970,000 visitors in 2025. They cite pressures on roads, water supply, sewage, waste management and health services, warning of a “destructive acceleration” of tourism over the past five years. The association called for protection of Paros’s natural and built‑up character and demanded parallel investment in public services.