Athens: The Greek government has published a list of 198 “untrodden beaches” that it said are now off limits to bars, restaurants and large public gatherings in its latest attempt to contain development and address the backlash to the throngs of tourists that descend on the country’s coastlines each year.

The move comes amid growing frustration among residents of some islands and parts of the coastal mainland that are popular with foreign visitors. Protests ballooned into a nationwide “beach towel movement” last northern summer as disgruntled locals complained that they were being pushed off their own beaches by businesses seeking to take advantage of a tourist boom that brought more than 32 million foreign visitors to Greece last year.

On the country’s Cycladic islands, residents joined forces with authorities to push back against a wave of construction.

The conservative government has pledged to crack down on the development, and on seaside businesses that violate regulations. In February, it passed a law to regulate the use of the country’s coastline, imposing penalties of up to €60,000 euros ($100,000) for businesses occupying more than 50 per cent of beaches with umbrellas and sun beds.

Critics said the law did not go far enough to curb the problem, with some claiming that the government was perpetuating the issue by not tackling illegal land use more comprehensively.

The list of “untrodden beaches” unveiled in a joint agreement between Greece’s finance and environment ministers, is part of a broader effort to restore balance, the government said. “The main goal is to combine environmental protection with sustainable development,” Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said.

“The environment is a valuable component of the Greek tourist product.”

Under the initiative, the government was putting public assets “under a strict framework of rules, penalties and obligations,” Hatzidakis said. Inspections and transparency would be increased, as would “the enforcement of the law”.