Greece to Cap Number of Cruise Ships to Cope With Overtourism

Speaking to Bloomberg, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the time has come to place restrictions on cruise ships visiting Greece’s most popular islands, the government’s first move to cope with the effects of overtourism.

“I think we’ll do it next year,” Mitsotakis said in an interview, speaking about the decision to cap cruise ship visits. The new rules could see the total number of island berths restricted, or a bidding process introduced for slots, he said.

The new restrictions are unlikely to make a major dent in the massive tourist sector with ships continuing to visit most islands and many cruise vessels home-ported in Piraeus near Athens, Bloomberg says.

Mitsotakis drew attention to the strain on the country’s most popular spots, including the Cycladic island of Santorini.

Overtourism: cruise ships docking on Greece’s islands

“Santorini in itself is a problem,” the Premier said on June 12th at his Athens office, noting that there could be a disconnect between the sheer number of vessels docking at the island and how much they contribute to the tourist economy. Other visitors to Santorini could be turned off by the cruise ship traffic, too, he said.

“There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini and they don’t want the island to be swamped,” Mitsotakis said. “Plus the island can’t afford it, even in terms of security.”

Santorini, known for its striking volcanic landscape and photogenic sunsets, was Greece’s most popular island destination for cruise ships last year with 800 vessels calling, delivering almost 1.3 million visitors, according to the Hellenic Ports Association. That’s nearly a 17 percent jump from 2022. The island is home to around 15,000 permanent residents.

Other Greek islands, too, are feeling the strain. Mykonos saw 749 cruise ship visits in 2023, second only to Santorini, an increase of over 23 percent from 2022.

“Santorini is the most sensitive, [and] Mykonos will be the second,” the premier told Bloomberg. Though many Greek islands are straining under the weight of their popularity, these are the ones “that are clearly suffering.”

Cruise ship cancels Santorini visit due to overcrowding

In April, a massive cruise ship that can carry thousands of guests announced it is canceling its planned visit to Santorini due to overcrowding.

The Sun Princess, a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, has notified its guests that it will not be making a stop at the Greek island on upcoming voyages due to congestion.

In an email communication to guests, the company stated, “Please note that there is a change to our scheduled itinerary. Due to cruise ship congestion, we will no longer call to Santorini, Greece.”

Santorini attracts millions of visitors annually. This translates to a significant imbalance, with some sources estimating over 1,300 tourists per resident.

The island sees frequent cruise ship arrivals, dislodging large numbers of tourists in a short span, overwhelming infrastructure and popular areas. Greece isn’t the first Mediterranean country forced to take action to deal with the effects of its popularity among tourists.

In 2021, Italy banned large cruise ships from the canal leading to Venice’s historic center after damage due to overtourism was sustained. Day tourists are now charged a toll to enter the center during peak periods, Bloomberg reports.