The Municipality of Athens is launching a dedicated task force to oversee and protect the city’s historic center, with the aim to preserve its character and crack down on illegal activities threatening Athens’ urban and social fabric.
The new municipal unit will focus in the Plaka district on the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis and a major tourist attraction, and will ensure compliance to zoning laws, curb noise, and address tourist issues just as Athens is preparing again to welcome millions of tourists this summer.
“We have an obligation to preserve the identity and character of our unique historic center,” said Athens Mayor Haris Doukas. “Cracking down on illegal activities and the reckless commercialization of our historic sites is a top priority, so that we can pass on a rich legacy to the younger generations.”
Doukas went on to add that the new unit will increase inspections to ensure strict adherence to land use regulations, with a particular focus on rooftop constructions, noise pollution and the proliferation of short-term tourism rentals. Municipal Police in Plaka have already identified numerous violations in Plaka, including businesses unlawfully using rooftops in clear breaching of zoning laws.
The task force brings together experts from key municipal departments, such as the Municipal Police, city planning and urban environment and construction and road works.
The municipality will also set up a Citizens’ Complaints Office at the Municipal Police headquarters in the heart of Athens, at Varvakios Central Market Square. Resident will be able to report issues including zoning infringements, sanitation and noise violations and expedite their resolution.
The decisive move to launch the task force marks a significant step in Athens’ broader strategy to balance tourism with sustainability and quality of life for residents.
Athens launches municipal task force amid surging overtourism in the Greek capital
In the summer of 2024, tourism industry experts had already warned that the Greek capital of Athens has been suffering from the consequences of overtourism in the post-pandemic era as the city welcomes an ever-increasing number of tourists throughout the year.
The ever-increasing number of tourists flocking Greece’s most sought-after places, predominantly Athens, has affected housing the most, causing long-term rentals to become more difficult for locals to secure. Nonetheless, this is not the only complication. Congestion around the main attractions, such as the Acropolis, air and noise pollution, and shortfalls on the security and cleanliness of urban environments all need to be addressed.
“Those are aspects that make life in Athens unbearable. Such consequences of overtourism are critical and we need to take them into account, put some rules in place and take measures, in consultation with the local society and its needs, to avoid the worst,” Katerina Kikilia, Head of the Department of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, told Greek Reporter.
At the same time, authorities in Athens have already voiced concerns over this seemingly exponential rise in tourist numbers, as crowds have become unmanageable. To stop the onslaught and bring some control to Athens, in 2023 the city capped the number of tourists who could visit the Acropolis to 20,000 per day. Tourists amass in Greece even after the summertime.
The challenge of too many visitors and the impact that has on local communities and the city itself means that tourism in its current form is not sustainable, Athens’s Mayor Harris Doukas told Fortune last year.
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