Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is considering measures to address the issue of overtourism from cruise ships on the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Speaking to Bloomberg, he mentioned that specific actions to limit cruise ship traffic could be implemented starting in 2025, potentially through a bidding process for restricted berth slots.
The Hellenic Ports Association reported 800 cruise ship visits to Santorini in 2023, and nearly 750 to Mykonos, highlighting the rapid growth of the Greek cruise industry, which expanded by 23% last year. The Prime Minister acknowledged concerns from hotel tourists who oppose the overwhelming influx of cruise visitors. “There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini, and they don’t want the island to be swamped,” he stated, noting that Santorini is particularly sensitive, followed by Mykonos.
Similar measures to mitigate the negative impacts of cruise tourism are being adopted in major European tourist destinations such as Venice, Barcelona, Mallorca, and Amsterdam.
