Cruise Ships Are Ruining Greece

Image: Aris Oikonomou (Getty Images)

The Greecian Islands, home to some of the most beautiful natural and human-built wonders, are being overrun with cruise-ship tourists. While the Mediterranean nation’s economy is supported largely by tourism, the strain of tens of millions of travelers annually has become too intense to sustain. Similar to many other European tourist destinations, Greece is formulating a plan to curb some of the busiest and highly crowded destinations. If you’re going to be visiting Mykonos or Santorini, be prepared to pay some hefty docking fees and lodging taxes for the privilege.

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According to the New York Times, Greece played host to a record 33 million tourists in 2023, and estimates indicate that record will be stretched to around 38 million this year, with a quarter of them arriving by cruise ship. With a national population of just 10.43 million, tourists to Greece during the busy season nearly outnumber Greek citizens. This growing tourism problem has caused thousands of knock on effects, including water shortages, increased housing costs, pollution, and taxed infrastructure.

Convincing the big cruise ships away from popular destinations is also hurting the smaller islands. Amorgos, an island of about 2,000 people, saw its first cruise ship arrive in August. The small island of Serifos has already declared its opposition to cruise ships as it was recently overrun by a 2,000 passenger deposit on a community of just 1,000 residents.

Image: Aris Oikonomou (Getty Images)

“Tourism supports the economy with significant resources and jobs, but it has its own particular social impact,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis exclaimed in a state of the economy speech this week. He went on to say he is “very concerned about the image on some of our islands some months of the year due to cruise ships.”

During the busy months visitors to Santorini, for example, will see their disembarkation fees rise from 35 cents to around 20 euros. Lodging taxes paid by rental homes and hotels will also be increased. These extra fees will help support improvements and upkeep to local infrastructure as it is stretched to the breaking point. To help curb the cost of housing, the state will offer a tax incentive for property owners to offer long-term leases instead of renting short-term to international visitors.