Greece has been warned that it could lose millions of tourists as the country brings in new measures to combat congestion from tourism.
The warning comes from the German Travel Association (DRV) who say many Germans will opt for other holiday destinations because of the new measures.
The government in Athens plans to charge cruise ship tourists €20 fees (£17) when they disembark at Mykonos or Santorini.
The DRV is asking Greece to push back the policy to 2025 for those who have already bought holiday packages.
They add that German tourists are sensitive to price competitiveness and will therefore travel for their holidays in the Western Mediterranean.
Greek hoteliers have raised concerns about how the new policy could impact their business.
DRV’s letter to Greece’s Tourism Minister said that “the German travel industry can look back on a good summer season in 2024 and is more than happy that, despite all the adversities, German holidaymakers continue to appreciate its products.”
It added: “We observe with concern Greece imposing many new taxes and levies on holidaymakers or significantly increasing existing fees in a relatively short period of time. In addition to the cruise passenger levy, this concerns in particular the ‘climate resilience fee,’ which is to be increased significantly.”
Greece’s Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni, recently said: “We must set quotas because it’s impossible for an island such as Santorini… to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time.”
The country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, added: “Greece does not have a structural over-tourism problem … Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with.
“Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.”
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