With a description of the pictures of the crowds recorded in Santorini, where thousands of tourists gathered to admire the sunset, the German newspaper Handelsblatt analyzed the issue of overtourism in Greece, but stressed that “without foreign visitors the island of Greece would be very poor”.
The publication highlights that tourism has grown since the financial crisis of the 2010s. Last year, Greece’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew four times faster than the eurozone average. “But many locals are now disturbed by visitors and full of anxiety,” he said: “They fear that the nature of their homeland will be destroyed. Hotspots like Santorini or Mykonos are hopelessly overcrowded and overtourism is becoming a burden for the Greeks. A new visitor record is also expected this year. The conservative government in Athens now wants to intervene in a regulatory way and plans strict measures against mass tourism.
Measures against overtourism
The publication highlighted that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already announced “cruise ship bans on particularly busy island destinations”, while the Greek government also plans to “limit short-term cruises apartment rent to tourists”, with the aim of making housing “affordable again.” for locals”.
As reported by HB, the decisions were based on a study by the Ombudsman, which concluded that “Greece should not consume and waste its tourist potential, otherwise our destinations will become less attractive over time”.
Therefore, the government is considering “limiting the number of cruise ships and short-term rentals in cities to 90 nights a year, while “in tourist islands with less than 10,000 resident to 60 nights a year.”