Tourists visiting Greece will now have to pay a fee of €20. This fee will be applicable on tourists who arrive on cruise ships to visit its renowned islands, Mykonos and Santorini.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, said that they had decided to impose this fee in light of the rise recorded in visitor numbers.
Due to the influx of tourists, both the local infrastructure as well as the environment is under a great deal of strain.
New Regulations
The introduction of the fee is not the only measure that will be put in place. The Greek government has come up with a broader strategy for protecting its islands and tackling with the issue of over-tourism.
One of the new regulations is that the number of cruise ships that will be permitted to visit these islands will be limited.
According to reports from local media, the government is introducing new environmental measures for addressing the water shortage, along with other ecological concerns.
The government plans to reinvest the revenue that they will generate through the cruise ship tax in local communities. It will be used for improving local infrastructure.
The Government Plans
The Greek government is also planning on hiking up the lodging tax it charges during the April-to-October period, which is the peak season.
This will also assist it in managing the high volume of tourists. A component in this tax will be aimed at countering climate change.
In addition, it will be used for providing local communities with additional revenue, making improvements in infrastructure and supporting sustainable practices.
Short-term rentals have also had a big impact on the housing market in Greece. The government has also come up with measures to address this issue.
This includes imposing a ban on new short-term leases in three prominent areas of Athens for at least a year.
Property owners will also receive a rental tax exemption of three years when they transition from short-term to long-term leases.
Property owners will also be encouraged to rent out their homes instead of leaving them vacant.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis has been very vocal about the problems associated with overtourism, especially on the popular islands in Greece.
The Restrictions
Beginning from 2025, the Greek government is planning on restricting the number of cruise ship visits for managing visitor numbers.
There was a notable increase in cruise ship arrivals in both Mykonos and Santorini last year. A total of 1.3 million passengers visited Santorini on 800 cruise ships.
Meanwhile, there was a 23% increase in cruise ship visits to Mykonos from a year earlier. The population in Santorini is around 16,000.
The high tourist influx has created a lot of problems for the island, such as crowded streets and long queues.
Local officials have dictated that starting next year, only 8,000 cruise ship passengers will be allowed on a daily basis.
Last year, there were a total of 32.7 million tourists recorded in Greece. With these measures, the government wants to balance the local community and environmental needs with tourism growth.
