The island of Santorini is starting to fight back against cruise tourists who are flooding the Greek islands and bringing little financial benefit.
Greece is proposing a new way to combat overtourism*, and Santorini is leading the way. Other Greek islands could follow suit.
How they write The media suggests that the landing fee cannot be “less than 10 euros for Santorini.” All proposals were presented and discussed at a meeting attended by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides, State Affairs Minister Akis Schertsos and the CEO of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund Dimitris Politis.
A new study is planned on the number of daily visitors the island can accommodate. The reality on the ground does not currently reflect the 8,000-passenger-per-day limit for the island. Other islands are likely to follow Santorini's example. Almost two-thirds of the country's cruise tourism comes from Piraeus, Santorini and Mykonos. However, most travelers head to Santorini, and “the numbers are growing rapidly.” Twenty thousand locals have already gone “wild” with the tourist crowds. Greece wants to impose not only a landing fee, but also an “environmental tax” on overnight stays throughout the country.
*The concept of “overtourism” (from the English “overtourism”) arose quite recently and means the oversaturation of some cities and resorts of the world with an excessive flow of tourists, which has a negative impact on the lives of the local population and the identity of the area.
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