Athens City Hall seeks solutions to the problem "overtourism" (video)

Last year, 2023, Athens received more than seven million tourists, and experts predict that this figure will increase by at least 20% in 2024. At the same time, the mayor's office complains that the bulk of tourism revenues bypass the city budget and go to the state treasury.

European countries are taking steps to combat overtourism. The Greek capital has also been suffering from this problem for the past two years, writes Euronews. The Athenian authorities have recently made a concerted effort to make the city a final destination rather than a ferry terminal from which tourists, after a selfie at the Parthenon, depart for the Greek islands. The goal has been achieved, but at what cost?

Katerina Kikilia, a professor at the Department of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, believes that clear rules are needed. According to her, Overtourism has already changed the housing market beyond recognition:

“Many areas of Athens and Attica have been given over to tourists. A striking example is Koukaki. It is now impossible to rent an apartment in this beautiful area – there are only medium-term leases everywhere. There are no families left there, and there are no children in the schools.”

Correspondent Faye Doulgeri reports from the Greek capital:

“In 2023, Athens welcomed more than 7 million tourists. This year, experts expect this figure to increase by 20%. Deserted Athens in August is an image from the past. The surge in tourism affects many areas, and not always positively.”

Rent prices across the city are becoming unaffordableespecially if the apartment is near the metro – the main form of transport in the capital. It's all about the shortage of square meters and the growing demand for them, says real estate expert Antonis Markopoulos:

“The demand for rentals is five times higher than the supply. And what is being rented is usually run-down housing. Because usually when a landlord does a major renovation of a property, they are either preparing it for digital short-term rental platforms or they will rent it to a very small circle of potential tenants. So these properties almost never come to market. That's why people suffer so much.”

Barcelona recently took action against short-term rentals. Athens wants to go further and is considering a more comprehensive approach. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas explains in an interview with Euronews:

“All this effort in tourism means little to the city economically. Just think: every visitor brings 40 euro cents to the city, and not every day. And we haven't seen that money yet, even though it's July. My point is that we have to find a way to make tourism sustainable, so that it doesn't lead to even greater inequality.”

He noted that a study of the city’s tourism potential is currently being conducted, and measures will be taken based on the results. One of them, already proposed by the municipality, is that “the tourist tax, which in five-star hotels amounts to 10 euros, be directed, as is done in almost all of Europe, to the city budget so that we can develop infrastructure.”

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