Govt Eyes Measures to Ease ‘Over-Tourism’ Image at Ports

Αhandful of top government ministers, along with the head of country’s privatization agency (HRADF), met on Thursday to consider measures for what’s emerging as the Grecian equivalent of the recent furor over “over-tourism” in Europe and elsewhere.

In terms of Greece during the ongoing peak holiday season, the expression of “over-tourism” has mostly been used to describe the situation on the highly popular Cyclades islands of Santorini and Mykonos in relation to the numerous cruise ships that dock at the latter on a daily basis.

The issue-cum problem of “over-tourism” has generated dozens of articles and broadcast reports this season by international media, most notably by UK outlets. Mykonos and Santorini have been extensively mentioned, in fact. The press focus comes after local residents and authorities of several top travelers’ destinations and sites – Barcelona, Venice, Seville and others – have demanded or taken steps to better manage or even curb the flow of visitors. One prominent example was a decision by authorities in Rome to prohibit people from sitting down on the iconic steps of the Piazza di Spagna in central Rome. In some instances, protests – which critics have called politically motivated – have targeted holiday-makers sipping their coffees and drinks in cafes in Barcelona and elsewhere, with scenes showing some individuals using water guns against patrons.

In Santorini’s case, local authorities and tourism officials have recently countered that the problem on the volcanic isle – where the renowned Caldera of Thira is located – isn’t necessary “over-tourism”, but instead a lack infrastructure to keep up with the growing rates of cruise ship arrivals. One of the ideas for the island is the accelerated construction of a new port.

According to initial reports out of Athens, the government is considering higher port fees for cruise ships docking at ports around the Aegean. The latter would include the port of Piraeus, the biggest and busiest port in the country, and the hub of cruise ship voyages in the Aegean, by far, as well as a large portion of the eastern Mediterranean.

Fees at ports
Thursday’s meeting included participation by the tourism minister (Olga Kefalogianni), the shipping minister (Christos Stylianides), the minister of state (Akis Skertsos) and the managing director of the privatization fund, Dimitris Politis, given that the latter has recently acquired the administrative oversight – on the part of the state – of the country’s port authorities.

Besides raising fees at ports, the government is considering, as it was reported, the use of digital management tools with which to better schedule cruise ships’ arrival, stay and departure.

Reuters dispatch

In one of the latest international reports from Santorini, Reuters spoke with the island’s mayor, Nikos Zorzos, who cited a growing number of foreign tourists – roughly 3.4 million visited the island last year – and what he called the extra pressure being placed on the island’s outdated infrastructure. He also reminded that high prices are driving out island residents out of the housing market – a phenomenon that is no new to Greece.
According to Reuters, “Zorzos says he has been pushing authorities for years not to allow a single extra bed on the island and has proposed a cap on the number of cruise ship visitors to 8,000 a day, down from around 17,000.”