The Mayor of Athens, Harris Doukas, has become the latest local political leader to speak out against overtourism. Speaking to a European news outlet, Doukas said tourism in Athens is not sustainable.
“Each visitor brings €0.40 to the city, and we haven’t seen this money yet. We need to find a way to make tourism viable,” he said.
Tourism makes up a significant proportion of Greece’s economy. It is estimated that Greece secures up to 25-30 per cent of its GDP from tourism which grows to 90 per cent in certain places, such as Santorini.
The amount of people visiting Greece continues to grow – visitor numbers increased 120 per cent between 2019 and 2023.
Last year, a huge 33 million tourists were said to have visited Greece which is more than triple the country’s population of around 10.5 million.
Whilst tourism supports local businesses, the sheer amount of people in the country has put a strain on infrastructure – an issue magnified by Europe’s recent wildfires.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/deadly-fires-ravage-greece-islands-but-no-travel-warning-issued/
The problems caused by short-term rentals are an issue many critics of over-tourism in the country have spoken out about.
“We need rules, Katerina Kikilia, Professor of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica told Euronews. “Athenians face daily the social and environmental impact. The housing crisis is huge.”
“There’s a huge supply problem in the rental market, demand is five times more than supply. Many renovated properties are marketed for short-term rentals or through closed networks, never reaching the general market. Many are struggling,” she said.
The news comes just a month after the mayor of Barcelona said the city would scrap the licenses of 10,101 apartments approved as short-term rentals adding they would become open to locals instead.
According to Spanish publication El Pais, rents in Barcelona are the highest they have ever been, rising 68 per cent since 2014. As we have seen in other densely populated cities such as London, New York and Sydney, the skyrocketing cost of rent means that young people native to Spain have been priced out of the city.
Criticisms about overtourism are not just happening in Europe. In Bali, council leader Kresna Budi told the press that tourists should be charged more for visiting the country.
“Why should Bali be sold cheaply?” the official reportedly said, highlighting that Indonesians need to pay millions of rupiah to get a visa when visiting Britain.
https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/is-bali-sick-of-misbehaving-tourists-official-push-for-higher-tax-to-attract-higher-quality-visitors/
Feature image: Acropolis Hill, Parthenon, Athens, Greece. Odeon Herodes Atticus.
