RUSSIAN CAPITAL 150 MILLION EURO IN KANISTRO, HALKIDIKI

One of the most prominent examples of obstruction due to bureaucracy in foreign investmentS is the big project of tourist complex by Med Sea Health and Mare Village SA in the location Kanistro in Paliouri, Halkidiki.

The good news is that now, after about 7 years of delay, the state has given the green light to the evolution of the investment, which has launched in recent months and is expected to be completed in 2015. The capital for this project comes from Russia and is estimated to reach 150 million. Although this investment has gone through a lot of difficulties until it get approval from the government, the investors haven’t been discouraged, showing patience and support their original plan.

In the evolution of investment a significant role played Stergios Pitsiorlas, former member of Sinaspismos, who supported the investors, convincing them basically not to abandon the plan, rather than the seven years it took to finally get the approval.

Mr. Pitsiorlas previously did not hesitate to stand on this issue in an opinion that some papers could be issued in 45 days instead of 3 months or about the allocation of the marina, a process that preceded the subsequent requirement for submission of environmental report.

The initial interest was expressed by Russian investors in 2006, according to Mr.Pitsiorlas, and in the meantime there was concern about whether they should leave it due to economic adversity and defamation that Greece suffered abroad.

These problems, however, belong to the past, as the construction of the tourism unit has already begun and is expected to give a strong impetus to “thermal” tourism in Greece .

The design of the superlux spa and thalassotherapy center has been made by the Italian specialist, Francesco Bernanti. The plan includes a high quality tourist  5-star hotel complex with 640 beds (300 rooms, of which 65 will feature a swimming pool, as well as 30 suites), hydro-therapeutic spa center, a marina with capacity 90 yachts and a settlement of 150 holiday homes (which will be available for sale), in a total area of 330 acres. The hotel is constructed on a hill on top of which it is the hydro-therapeutic center, which will consist of 62 luxury rooms with pools and fed with water from the hot springs of the area.

For the purchase of land the investors spent 15 million euros and the project is implemented by a pair of companies, hotel and health service company Med Sea Health and hotel and property company Mare Village SA.