Momentum is building across the globe to restrict cruise traffic in
some of the world's most popular destinations, and it appears Greece may
be next to hop on that bandwagon.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government may restrict the number of berths or create a bidding process for ships to call at Greece's most popular islands, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. This could happen as soon as next year, according to the report.
Tourism makes up about a quarter of Greece's economic output, and
tourism has only grown stronger since the pandemic. Some 32.7 million
visitors travelled to Greece last year, an 18% increase from 2022.
But that growth has resulted in less-than-ideal conditions in some of
its most visited destinations. As travel advisor Angela Hughes said
Santorini was "absolutely miserable" when she visited the city last
summer. People were walking in the town of Oia in crowded herds in the
same direction up the steep and narrow streets; had to stand in lines to
snap pictures at viewpoints; and wait at least two hours in some cases
to catch a ride back via the cable car instead of walking back down the
steps that wind down its steep cliff to the island's base.
Santorini is a particularly urgent problem, Mitsotakis said.
"There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini, and
they don't want the island to be swamped," Mitsotakis told Bloomberg.
"Plus, the island can't afford it, even in terms of security."
Some 800 ships called in Santorini last year carrying 1.3 million
people, a 17% increase over 2022, according to the Hellenic Ports
Association.
Mykonos is another popular destination handling more cruisers.
Mykonos recorded 749 cruise ship visits last year, an increase of more
than 23% from 2022.
"Santorini is the most sensitive; Mykonos will be the second," Mitsotakis said.
CLIA introduced a five-year action plan to Greece late last year that
included extending the cruise season and developing a berth allocation
system and destination management plans.
More recently, CLIA said that it supports developing a berth
management system in Mykonos to better distribute cruise ship arrivals,
but it didn't comment specifically on Mitsotakis' plan to restrict the
number of berths or create a bidding process for ships.
Greece isn't alone in wanting to restrict cruise traffic. Other
cities have also implemented rules or threatened measures to curb their
cruise traffic, including Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice. In the U.S.,
we've seen attempts to curb traffic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and Key West,
Florida. Just three weeks ago, Juneau, Alaska announced a limit on daily
berthing, to begin in 2026.
Source: Travel Weekly