Santorini: Greece’s most “Instagrammable” island nears the brink of overcrowding, writes AFP

The French Press Agency (AFP) addresses the issue of overtourism on Santorini, Greece’s “Instagram island,” which has now reached a point of saturation.

“One of the most enduring images of Greece’s summer travel brand is the globally famous sunset on the island of Santorini, framed by the blue-domed churches on a jagged cliff high above a volcanic caldera. This scene has inspired millions of refrigerator magnets, posters, and souvenirs – and now the queue to reach the spot from which you can see it in the cliff-top village of Oia can take more than 20 minutes,” it reports.

Santorini, AFP notes, is a key stop for Greek cruises. However, authorities are now considering the possibility of restrictions, as entire sections of the island are nearing a state of suffocation.

Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, about 3.4 million, or 1 in 10, went to the island with just 15,500 residents.

Greece's 'Instagram island' Santorini nears saturation point.

Around 3.4 million visitors went to the island of just 15,500 residents last year. "We need to set limits if we don't want to sink under overtourism," Santorini's mayor sayshttps://t.co/OJW3UG0Wgo pic.twitter.com/cO6buLHCsk

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 26, 2024

Setting Limits

“We need to set limits if we don’t want to sink under overtourism,” Santorini’s mayor Nikos Zorzos told AFP, adding that there is no longer a single available bed, either in large hotels or Airbnb rentals.

At sunset in Oia, thousands of tourists raise their phones to the sky to capture the moment.

For savvy entrepreneurs, the famous sunset of the Cycladic island can be the “golden goose.” “One company advertised more than 50 ‘flying dresses,’ which have long flowing lines, for 370 euros, in posters around Oia for anyone wishing to ‘feel like a Greek goddess’ or to take selfies,” the report states.
“It’s Our Home”

However, in the narrow streets of Oia, residents have put up signs urging tourists to respect their home. “Respect. It’s your vacation, but it’s our home,” reads a purple sign from the group Save Oia.

The island’s mayor emphasized that the landscape is unique and should not be damaged by new infrastructure. About one-fifth of the island is currently occupied by buildings.

Data from the Union of Greek Ports shows that in 2022, 800 cruise ships brought about 1.3 million passengers. Chantal Metakidi, a Belgian resident of Santorini for 26 years, noted that cruise ships cause significant harm to the island, and when there are 8 to 9 ships emitting smoke, one can see the pollution layer over the caldera.

Considerations and Disagreements

In June, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggested the possibility of limiting cruise ship arrivals at Greece’s most popular islands. “I think we’ll do it next year,” he told Bloomberg, noting that Santorini and Mykonos are suffering, and adding that some people spend a lot of money to visit Santorini and don’t want the island to be overrun.

In an interview with AFP, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni mentioned the need to set quotas. “It is impossible for an island like Santorini to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time,” she said.

Local officials have set a limit of 8,000 cruise ship passengers per day starting next year. However, not all local operators agree.

Antonis Pagonis, head of the Santorini Hoteliers Association, believes better management of visitor flow is part of the solution. “It’s not feasible to have (on Monday), for example, 20,000 to 25,000 visitors from cruise ships and zero the next day,” he said. According to him, most congestion affects only parts of the island. In the south, the volcanic sand beaches are less crowded, even though July is the peak tourist season.

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