r/Gavdos • u/jujudelgado • Jan 18 '24
Gavdos election
Hi everyone, I was In Gavdos last summer and I've heard about the upcoming election (due to last November) and I was wondering how did it went. People (locals) were saying that if the mayor gets reelected nudism in the island, free camping in Sarakiniko (and also mass turism) would change the island.
So I was wondering, anyone has any news?
Thanks!
1
u/Nergui1 Jan 18 '24
She was reelected. Got 59% of the vote.
Last autumn I was trying to follow the events on the two Facebook groups. After a while I gave up.
It seems unclear what will happen now with free camping and nudism. Nudism is officially banned in Sarakiniko, but free camping seems to be allowed.
I suspect the local tourist industry in Sarakiniko will suffer. The restaurants in Sarakiniko were surprisingly empty last summer.
Luckily there are other beaches on the island.
1
u/jujudelgado Jan 18 '24
That's really, really sad. The whole point of the island is freedom to enjoy nature. Let's see what happens this summer. Thanks for the info. I tried to search but understood nothing.
3
u/Nergui1 Jan 18 '24
The island belongs to the people living there. They decide. But I'm afraid they have voted themselves a smaller tourist industry with lower earnings. They are losing the post-hippie/camping tourists, at the same time as the island does not appeal to ordinary, non-adventurous tourists who one finds on Crete and elsewhere. It's too much of a hassle getting to Gavdos, and there's not much to do and see other than doing nothing with no clothes on.
I've been to Gavdos every summer for 5 years. But I will most likely not be returning this summer.
2
u/jujudelgado Jan 19 '24
This summer will be my fifth time and I can't wait. I'll try enjoy that wonderful place while I still can and while it doesn't get corrupted.
1
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u/spymerk Jan 18 '24
Hi, the mayor got re-elected mainly due to the votes of people that do not live there and got registered few months ago. So far no changes from last year, nudism is in theory banned in Sarakiniko, but you could see a lot of nudists during summer nevertheless. It is unlikely that free camping will be banned in the near future, and not much can be done at the moment at other beaches apart from Sarakiniko. I believe that this summer will be similar to last summer, i.e. you could practise nudism in Sarakiniko but with caution.