Greece has become the latest destination to flag concerns about overtourism caused by cruise ship arrivals, with the country’s prime minister calling for a reduction in cruise visits to popular Greek islands like Santorini and Mykonos.
Greece follows on from Venice, Barcelona and Alaska in voicing concerns about the effects of cruise tourism overkill.
Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has called for a reduction in cruise visits – possibly via the big cruise lines bidding for strictly controlled visit times. He said Greece’s government may move, as quickly as early 2025, to cap the number of cruise visits to the region.
Mr Mitsotakis said popular Greek islands, like Santorini and Mykonos, are “clearly suffering”, are in danger of being swamped by tourists and cannot afford the costs – including security – of accommodating visitors.
Cruise giant Carnival has said, while it isn’t expecting any measures to be overly disruptive, it will work in tune with any new regulations Greece introduces.
While Greece is an important destination for Carnival, it is only in the single digit percentages for visitor numbers.
The head of Greek cruise line Celestyal, Chris Theophilides, welcomed the Greek government’s plans; saying more scheduled visit times to all of Greece’s popular landmarks will create fewer pressures on local inhabitants and allow more controlled tourism numbers better enjoy the country.
For its part, cruise industry representative group CLIA has been working on solutions, globally, to counteract overtourism through cruise ship visits. It has, separately, presented the Greek government with a 5-year plan to combat overtourism; which includes suggestions like berth-allocation plans and an extended cruise season.
