After the “worst ever” summer for overtourism at popular holiday destinations in Greece, the country has announced that it will go ahead with plans to place a €20 levy (£16) on travellers. Brits can expect to pay these fees from next summer at some of Greece’s biggest tourist traps, including the overwhelmed picturesque island of Santorini.
Despite boasting a meager population of 20,000 residents, this popular Mediterranean island regularly sees more than three million people swarm across its shores each year, putting a colossal strain on public services and pushing out locals. Other parts of sun-baked Greece face similar issues, with some spots seeing as much as 40 per cent of housing turned into lucrative Airbnb rentals, which will now be taxed at a higher rate.
But a particular issue for Greece has been the growth in cruise ships dropping off hordes of passengers during the summer, flooding already popular spots with thousands of people at a time. Speaking to reporters, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said: “Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem… Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with.”
(
Getty Images)
He explained that other popular locations like Mykonos would also see a fee levied during their busiest weeks of the year, with a particular focus on the cruise passenger problem. He added: “Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.”
A post-pandemic boom in holidaymakers heading to sunnier climes in Europe has led to growing concerns and protests in parts of Spain and Greece over the sheer numbers of tourists packing their beaches, even though both countries rely heavily on their tourism sectors. This prompted a two-pronged approach from Mitsotakis this week, who laid out his economic agenda and set his sights squarely on the tourism problem.
This included increasing the tax paid by Airbnb landlords, which is likely to see the price of these popular short-term rentals increase for many tourists and travellers. Combined with a three-year tax break for landlords who change their properties to long-term lease, Mitsotakis said he wanted to fix the housing crisis caused by his country’s boom in tourism.
Many residents across Greece have become enraged by the loss of housing and rise of Airbnbs, with buildings and walls in these locations often defaced with graffiti messages, such as “Tourists Go Home!” In Athens, other slogans reportedly seen across city buildings say: ‘No Tourists No Hipsters’, and ‘Burn Airbnb’.
Speaking to the Independent, Athens resident Penny Platanitou, 58, said: “It’s a huge issue because it’s changing the urban landscape. Where there are traditional buildings, now there’s a modern one next to them, designed to be an Airbnb.”
This post was originally published on here
