Either we change or we sink. This dilemma seems to be the focus of this summer in Santorini, the No. 1 popular island abroad but experiencing the effects of this popularity to an exhausting degree. SSantorini it never stopped, whether the individual mayors supported the delivery to the builders or they could not without the help of the state to stop the expansion of the cement and we will arrive in 2024, where the island will change its run or its condemnation will be signed.
A few weeks agothe mayor of the island, Mr. Zorzoswho is a mayor who wants to change things, as a winemaker told us here, talking about the problem of water on the island, which is no longer enough for the locals with such an increased demand for tourism and its use in infrastructure.
“From 2012 to 2019, water consumption will double. From 2019 to 2022 it increased by 18%, from 2022 to 2023 by 22%. The desalination that we estimated would cover us for 15 years, finally reached 5 years. THE The island’s energy consumption went from 32.5 MW at the peak of the season in 2019 to 59 MW last year and this year will exceed 65 MW. In Oia, where investment in tourism continues, in April we had a 31% increase in visitors compared to last year and in May by 28%. But the most serious issue is overbuilding, and it is because irreparable damage has been caused, the scene has not been restored”.
Santorini at the time of the biggest decisions
Furthermore, Mr. Zorzos emphasized with relative pessimism that it is not possible that reasoning at all is in infrastructure development and not prohibiting new constructions that would diminish the natural environment of Santorini and waste precious resources.
This is common that Santorini has 63 days of high tourism every year with tens of thousands of tourists arriving. There are days when cruise ships they went down to the island up to 19,000 tourists, a large number to be covered by people working in businesses on the island. And the tourists gather and can’t enjoy any sunset, but the working people are also overworked and violently tired. And the conductors were given a signal to abuse the horses that carried the unconscious tourists from the port to the Caldera.
In front in these conditions eo the days of high tourism should be greatly reduced so that things become more sustainable – o mayor set the ceiling at 48 – the number of tourists disembarking from the island’s cruise ships should drop to a 4-digit maximum.
It is clear that Santorini needs government intervention to “save”, if it is not necessary to slowly rely on a period of negative advertising, to reduce extreme tourism and go to numbers that do not hinder its continuation.
Of course, there is also individual responsibility, especially for Greeks visiting Santorini. For example supports high-end luxury tourism on the island, so hotels with swimming pools will increase, so water resources will be pumped for something unnecessary, while this water can feed the farms. Our good time should enter the second day and the priority should be given to continue to Santorini, but also to every island of Greece, because what we see in Santorinih, we see that it begins in many islands.
The sensitivity and awareness of tourists is something that we ignore in the face of our desire to have fun because of the fear of a new pandemic, but we need to go back and have a sustainable approach to our travel options. It is difficult, obviously, but if we do not begin to understand it, we will never begin to use it.