Greece closed 2023 with a record number of foreign tourists. Neither extreme heat waves nor wildfires deterred visitors who wanted to holiday among the Aegean islands, archaeological ruins and traditional feasts. gyroscopes And souvlaki. And after a good start to 2024, there are already those in the industry who predict that the country will set a new record this year. Not everyone sees these figures with the same enthusiasm. At least some parts of Greece are not immune to the tourist saturation seen in other popular international destinations such as Venice, Amsterdam or the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Barcelona in Spain.

A good example of this is that your Government is currently considering restricting the flow of cruise ships to the most popular islands, with Santorini probably being the most interesting case.

Cruisers yes, but they have their limitsThe announcement was made a few weeks ago by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during an interview with Bloomberg: the government is considering imposing restrictions on cruises on its most popular islands, thus partly combating the effects of a “tourism surplus” in the most crowded spots.

Mitsotakis did not go into details and did not specify where, when or how the new policy would be implemented, but he did give hints about what he has in mind: borders could be set in various ways, ships could be restricted from docking, or the ship could be put out to tender and put into service by 2025.

Centering the focusSpeaking to Bloomberg, Mitsotakis spoke specifically about the pressure on the cruise route, particularly around one of the country’s most popular destinations: Santorini, one of the Cycladic islands in the Aegean, famous for its coastline, cliffs and whitewashed houses. Tour operators actually present it as a “perfect Greek island,” a dream destination.

But Mitsotakis assumes that this worldwide fame also has a less positive B-side from the management perspective. “Santorini is a problem in itself,” he laments. “There are people who spend a lot of money to be on Santorini and don’t want the island to be underwater. And the island can’t even afford that from a security perspective.”

Discussing plans to limit tourism and the flow of cruise passengers in the short term, Mitsotakis also touched on the pressure being put on Mykonos, another popular Greek destination, but insisted Santorini was “the most sensitive”. Both, he said, were “obviously painful” points.

What does the data say? Tourism is very important in Santorini, especially considering its characteristics. Around 15,000 people live permanently on the island, but the influx of visitors is much higher. The Greek Ports Association estimates that 800 ships will call here in 2023, attracting 1.3 million visitors, making it the country’s main island destination, and the airport is busy.

Bloomberg reported that Santorini was expecting to receive 3.4 million tourists this summer, citing Councilor Nikos Zorzos. The leader has already warned that the island cannot afford “one more bed” and has resigned: “It’s going to be a very bad year.”

The European Commission’s calculations are also significant. In 2018, it was estimated that Santorini, with a population of 15,500 and an area of ​​76 square kilometers, reached a daily tourist penetration rate of 107.8 visitors per 100 people and generated a turnover of one billion euros per year.

“Overtourism”. Brussels, in its report on the impact of “overtourism”, also issued a warning to sailors about the situation in Santorini. According to him, “It is necessary to implement effective policies to manage and regulate the increased flow of tourists in order to reduce the negative consequences of overtourism for the local community. This is necessary to preserve the image of the destination, to prevent its deterioration and to preserve the charm of the island”.

Regardless of the measures taken by the administration to reduce cruise ships, the truth is that local authorities have been asking for limits since 2012 and in the past, before the pandemic, they had managed to impose a limit of 8,000 daily visitors on cruise ships, as well as a maximum for ships to stay on the islands.

Impact on other sectorsThe tourist avalanche is not only affecting the routine of locals. A few days ago, Bloomberg collected criticisms of Santorini winemaker Matthew Argyros, a family-run winery with more than 120 years of history that uses about a quarter of the island’s vineyards.

“Tourism is destroying the vineyards,” Argyros laments. “I am raising the red flag for the island.” The reason? Many other tourist-overcrowded spots are no exception: the demand for land to build accommodation for tourists has made agricultural land more expensive.

The horizon of 2041Their complaints are supported by data from the Santorini Winemakers Association, which says that grape production on the island has been steadily decreasing over the last two decades, falling by almost 50%. Other problems, such as the lack of labor or water caused by tourism, are added to the difficulties created by the terrain. Some warn that production could be at its minimum level in a few decades, namely in 2041.

The final debate? Against this backdrop, a new controversy arose on Wednesday over Santorini, its cruise ships and the influx of visitors, due to the alleged bizarre request by a local official, Panos Kavallaris, to his neighbors to limit their movements around the island, as an estimated 17,000 visitors on cruise ships are due to disembark soon.

The petition was to be launched on social networks, but the message caused such a stir that Kavallaris soon deleted it. At least that’s what the newspaper says. Greek City TimesFurthering the events on the Greek island, he reposted a screenshot of a message allegedly sent by a local official.

The Great Dilemma. Santorini, and Greece in general, exemplify the dilemma that tourism success can bring. As Mitsotakis and the European Union admit, the flow of visitors can be “excessive” and have “negative consequences” for the local population, but at the same time the sector has become a major economic pillar, generating millions of dollars in turnover and jobs.

A year ago, Julia Simpson, president of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), estimated that the travel and tourism sector represented more than 19% of the Greek economy. Good results for 2023 and forecasts for this summer have actually triggered job offers for the high season.

Image | AXP Photography (Unsplash)

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