'Instagram Island' Suffering From Overtourism

“The Instagram Island” is what Agence France-Presse calls Santorini in today's publication, which touches on the topic of hypertourism.

In an article, AFP writes: “One of the most striking images of Greece's summer tourism brand is the world-famous sunset in Santorini. But the queue to get to the viewing platform located on the top of the Oia cliff can last more than 20 minutes.”

When a tourist decides to take a Aegean cruise, Santorini is a key stopBut with some parts of the island overrun with tourists, authorities are considering imposing restrictions. Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, about 3.4 million, or one in 10, visited the island of just 15,500 people.

“We have to set limits if we don't want to fall into hypertourism,” Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos told AFP. “There should not be a single extra bed… either in the big hotels or in Airbnb rentals.”

For savvy entrepreneurs, the famous Cycladic sunset has become the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Santorini's landscape is “unique,” the mayor says, and “new infrastructure should not affect it.” About one-fifth of the island is currently occupied by buildings. The cliff edge is dotted with swimming pools and Jacuzzis, which underscore that Santorini is also a fashionable holiday destination.

Greece's 'Instagram island' Santorini nears saturation point.

Around 3.4 million visitors went to the island of just 15,500 residents last year. “We need to set limits if we don't want to sink under overtourism,” Santorini's mayor sayshttps://t.co/OJW3UG0Wgo pic.twitter.com/cO6buLHCsk

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 26, 2024

According to the Greek Ports Association, 800 cruise ships carried about 1.3 million passengers in 2023. Cruise ships “cause a lot of harm to the island,” said Sandal Metakidis, a Belgian who has lived on Santorini for 26 years. “When eight or nine ships emit smoke, you can see traces of pollution in the caldera,” she said.

In an interview with AFP, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said quotas should be set: “On an island like Santorini, it is impossible to accommodate five cruise ships at the same time.” Local authorities have set a limit of 8,000 cruise passengers per day from next year. But not all local operators agree.

Antonis Pagonis, head of the Santorini Hoteliers Association, said part of the solution was better management of visitor flows. “It’s impossible to have (on Monday), for example, 20,000 to 25,000 cruise ship visitors and the next day zero,” he said. Hypertourism has only affected parts of the island, he said. In the south, the volcanic sand beaches are less crowded, although July is the peak tourist season.

At the same time, the average tourist on the island has changed. “Instagram has defined the way people choose places to visit,” says a local guide, explaining that everyone wants the perfect Instagram photo.

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