Greece plans to implement measures to reduce the number of cruise
ships allowed to call at popular islands like Santorini and Mykonos in
an effort to address overtourism impacts.
"I think we'll do it next year," stated Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece.
The new policies would cap cruise liner visits and thousands of
passenger footfalls on the "clearly suffering" Cycladic Islands.
Limiting berths and anchorage slots, potentially through a bidding
process, could alleviate growing pressure on Greek ports.
"Santorini is the most sensitive, Mykonos is the second," Mitsotakis
told Bloomberg. Around 800 cruise ships carrying 1.3 million passengers
visited holiday hotspot Santorini last year, which has only 15,000
permanent residents. Mykonos received nearly 750 cruise ship calls in
2023, up 23% from the prior year.
"There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini and they
don't want the island to be swamped. Plus, the island can't afford it,
even in terms of security," Mitsotakis explained.
The move follows some cruise lines already adjusting itineraries due
to overcrowding, such as Princess Cruises removing certain Santorini
calls this summer. It also comes as Greece has seen a tourism surge
post-pandemic, welcoming nearly 33 million visitors in 2023.