Santorini overwhelmed by mass tourism, the government is thinking of a solution

Now it is not the only case, really, of overcrowding and overtourism we talk more and more. Recently we have also seen an entirely Italian case, with Venice which, after the entry ticket, is already thinking about the surcharge for cruise passengers.

You don’t need to go very far: even close Greeceon the spectacular and sought after island of Santorini, mass tourism is causing some inconvenience and the administrations are already thinking about the so-called “limited number”. Let’s see what it’s all about.

Santorini to visit, but in moderation

Every year, especially in the high season, millions of tourists walk between the blue domes of the white houses and buildings of Santorini, eager to visit the beautiful Greek island. However, if you imagine taking the perfect selfie for Instagram or a photo at sunset where there is only you and your other half with Oia in the background, you might be wrong: arriving in Santorini is not exactly what you expect, because The streets of the island are so full of visitors that today we can completely talk about the phenomenon of overtourism.

Overtourism is in fact that condition in which a tourist destination is overpopulated by an excessive number of visitors, to the point of causing damage to the environment, the local culture and the quality of life of the residents. Overtourism occurs when the tourist flow exceeds the sustainable carrying capacity of a given area, leading to congestion, pollution, deterioration of natural resources, increased real estate prices and negative impacts on the place

To deal with overtourism, it is important to adopt management strategies sustainable tourism and it is precisely in this direction that the Greece plans to go through Santorini.

“I respect you. It’s your party… but it’s our house”: this is one of the signs you’ll find in the charming and characteristic alleys of the island of Santorini. Last year, Greece set a good record 32.7 million visitors and Santorini participated in this number with 3.4 million tourists. If you consider that the local population is only 15,500 people, you will immediately understand that overtourism here is one of the highest in the world.

Nikos Zorzos, mayor of Santorini, stated that putting limits on the entry of tourists to the island is now practically an obligation: “I ask that no additional beds be authorized (…), neither in the big hotels nor in rentals on Airbnb.” While today about 20% of Santorini is a built-up area, the mayor says that he is also concerned about the duty to preserve a territory that, formed by the volcanic activity of the past, is today one of the most spectacular and unique in the world

Cruises on Santorini are also in the spotlight

Last year, according to a report by the Hellenic Ports Association, the cruise ships that docked at the port of Santorini were 800, with an account of approx 1.3 million tourists who set foot on the island. Even after these important – and alarming – data, the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefaloyanni, told the news agency France Presse that it was necessary to establish quotas to prevent an island like Santorini from seeing up to five daily arrivals cruise ships at the same time.

The capacity for the island that has been estimated, thanks to the local authorities, for next year is instead 8,000 cruise passengers per day, an idea also supported by the president of the Santorini Hotel Association, Antonis Pagonis. An uncontrolled and partly unbalanced phenomenon, as Pagonis highlights: “it is not possible that on Monday there will be 20,000 to 25,000 tourists on a cruise and none the next day.”

 

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