Mykonos Port Full of Massive Cruise Ships

On Tuesday, June 27, Mykonos Port was seemingly at full capacity as five sizeable cruise ships were anchored side by side. Although a surge in tourists on the Greek island is nothing new, the sight of so many vessels together was nevertheless quite extraordinary.

Within a single day, an estimated 15,000 tourists are set to disembark at Mykonos Port, ready to enjoy their summer holidays. Naturally, tourism plays a substantial role in the local economy, but it can also place a strain on infrastructure.

Mykonos is one of the most popular Greek island destinations among tourists, with large cruise ships being a common sight in the summer months at the island’s busy port.

Mykonos Port becomes cruise ship “parking space”

As the cruise ships lined up along the island’s port, some onlookers took the opportunity to photograph and record images of the vessels as they laid anchor which later surfaced on social media.

One user, Georgios Hatzimanolis, posted a video on Twitter showing the lineup of vessels on Mykonos. “Managed to get a video showing all 5 cruise ships here today in #Mykonos, with a combined capacity of 14k passengers,” tweeted Hatzimanolis. “Streets are full even in the middle of the day with sun beating down. Not sure this is enjoyable for them or for the rest of visitors, certainly not sustainable.”

Managed to get a video showing all 5 cruise ships here today in #Mykonos, with a combined capacity of 14k passengers.
Streets are full even in the middle of the day with sun beating down.
Not sure this is enjoyable for them or for the rest of visitors, certainly not sustainable. https://t.co/rGVJwLZJGo pic.twitter.com/zrbzYX91pr

— Georgios Hatzimanolis (@GHatz21) June 27, 2023

Current projections indicate that the influx of tourists will continue as the summer season unfolds. Hotels, bars, and restaurants can expect good business but local infrastructure may be put under strain.

According to official data released by the Union of Greek Ports, 895 cruise ships are anticipated to visit Mykonos and Delos this year, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s count of 608. Just in the month of June, a total of 131 ships have been scheduled to dock at these destinations.

Mykonos remains popular with tourists

Mykonos is seen by many as an ideal holiday destination and has been immensely popular with tourists for decades.

There are plenty of wonderful beaches with golden sand and blue waters, stereotypical of the Greek islands. At the same time, there is easy access to them. In particular, beaches like Psarrou, Elia, Paradise, and Super Paradise are world-famous.

The nightlife on Mykonos has a similarly strong reputation, rivaling that of competitors like Ibiza in Spain. Visitors have a myriad of beach bars and clubs to choose from, many of which are open all night long until the sun rises.

The island also attracts many celebrities. For example, George Clooney recently arrived by private jet to front an event promoting Omega’s Speedmaster watch. Earlier in June, famous actor Christian Bale was spotted holidaying on the island with his family.