By Niki Kitsantonis
Greece, with its historical riches, breathtaking islands, and pristine beaches, provides tourists numerous motivations to explore. However, a seemingly unending surge of visitors in recent years has created challenges in some of its most frequented locations.
Thus, earlier this month, the prime minister proposed a range of initiatives designed to mitigate some consequences of the increasing visitor numbers.
The modifications involve substantial hikes in docking fees for cruise ships at a few of Greece’s top islands, as well as constraints on the number of daily cruise ship arrivals. The measures aim to alleviate the pressure the tourism sector places on local communities and reflect a growing resistance against overtourism in various other key European cities.
“Tourism plays a vital role in the economy, providing significant resources and employment, yet it does carry its unique social implications,” stated Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his annual address on the state of the economy in Thessaloniki on Sept. 7. He expressed his “deep concern regarding the portrayal of some of our islands during peak months due to cruise traffic.”
Further details are set to be disclosed this week, he announced.
Frustration over tourism has surged throughout Europe since the easing of pandemic-related travel restrictions. In April, Venice implemented a 5 euro (approximately $5.50) entry fee on certain days. In July, demonstrators in Barcelona, Spain, protested the influx of tourists.
After those cities rerouted cruises from overcrowded ports, Amsterdam officials opted to reduce cruise traffic by half by 2026, ultimately planning to shut down its terminal, citing concerns about congestion and environmental pollution.
This issue presents particularly significant risks in Greece, where tourism constitutes roughly one-fifth of the country’s economic output. A record 33 million visitors arrived last year, according to the Bank of Greece, which reported a further increase of 15.5% in the first half of 2024.
The rise in vacation rentals and foreign investment has also driven property prices to levels that many inhabitants claim they cannot sustain across various islands, while a surge in villa construction has resulted in water scarcity.
“We’ve experienced another exceptionally successful year for tourism,” Mitsotakis remarked, highlighting that the sector was achieving “record after record.”
In an effort to tackle congestion, he stated that disembarkation fees for cruises would be raised, with even larger increases for particularly coveted islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, where both authorities and inhabitants have been advocating for limits.
Fees are set to rise to 20 euros for those islands during peak season, he informed at a news conference on Sept. 8, marking a significant jump from Santorini’s current fee of 35 cents. Some of the additional income will be allocated to local infrastructure, he added.
The government will also augment a lodging tax imposed on hotels and rental establishments on the islands, directing those funds back into local communities to assist them during the busy season, Mitsotakis indicated.
Additionally, property owners offering long-term leases, as opposed to the short-term rentals typically given to international guests, will be exempt from rental tax for three years, he announced.
Mitsotakis also praised forthcoming restrictions on rampant development on the most overbuilt islands, seemingly aimed at vacation homes. “Let’s take action and apply brakes wherever necessary on islands we believe have reached a point where their infrastructure is being excessively challenged,” he told reporters.
The cruise sector is thriving in Greece, with an anticipated 20% rise in ship arrivals this year, amounting to over 8 million passengers, according to Giorgos Koubenas, president of Greece’s cruise ship owners’ union, who noted projected revenues of 2 billion euros this year.
Santorini, renowned for its volcanic beaches and stunning caldera, ranks as Greece’s leading cruise destination, welcoming 1.3 million cruise visitors last year, according to the Hellenic Ports Association. An official there sparked considerable backlash on a particularly crowded day in July when he urged residents — a population of 15,500 — to remain at home to accommodate an expected 17,000 visitors.
Nikos Zorzos, the mayor, indicated that authorities have tried to keep daily visitors below 8,000, but that cruise itineraries are arranged two years in advance, leading to some “very challenging days.”
“It’s crucial that every island has the capacity to manage the situation at a local level,” he stated, “that local authorities retain control over such vital issues directly affecting residents’ daily lives.”
Nevertheless, some inhabitants of smaller islands express fears that restrictions will merely shift the challenges of cruise traffic onto them.
“I’m very concerned,” remarked Thodoris Halaris, a 64-year-old resident of Amorgos, an island with around 2,000 inhabitants that recently hosted its first large cruise ship. He noted that cruises could overshadow the regular visitors he rents to, asserting that they do not fit the island’s comparatively small beaches.
“It’s akin to the theater of the absurd,” he said. “Fifty individuals swimming on a beach with a 250-meter cruise ship docked in front of them.”
Konstantinos Revinthis, the mayor of Serifos, revealed that he was convinced to oppose cruise visits after a medium-sized cruiser brought approximately 2,000 passengers to his island, which has about 1,000 residents.
“We lack the infrastructure to accommodate such a large number of people,” he stated.
