The more the islands “sink”, the more problems arise. Overcrowding everywhere, rising prices, poor services, depleted resources, water shortages, power cuts. The resilience of the industry, infrastructure and tourism systems is being tested. But above all, the resilience and nervousness of the residents are being tested.
When we heard Santorini, images of enchanting sunsets, the picturesque village of Oia and the stunning volcanic view of the caldera came to mind. The island suddenly became a signpost – a hallmark of the new epidemic of hypertourism that is affecting Europe and beyond. 17,000 visitors “descended”, wanting to live their legend in Greece. They came with the best of humor and the best of intentions. Little did they know that for the locals this would be a nightmare, with recommendations for… blocking. Santorini is expecting to welcome 3.4 million tourists this summer, despite local authorities calling for limits since 2012.
It’s not the tourists’ fault…
Hypertourism is certainly not a Greek privilege. In Venice, Barcelona and even Amsterdam, locals are rebelling. Protests are growing. “We have no intention of demonising tourists or blaming them for anything. We know it’s not their fault. The responsibility lies with the governments that allowed the industry to do what it wanted,” one Spanish protester told the Financial Times.
There are some numbers we can’t ignore. 80% of the world’s travelers visit just 10% of destinations, estimates National Geographic. Global tourists this year will easily surpass the 1.5 billion mark, which was the record in 2019.
Come more, spend less
In Greece, we expect record arrivals and we would like to see record revenues as well. A bell rang for us in the first 5 months. Arrivals are growing much faster than revenues, since per capita expenditure is reduced. Let this also be taken into account when we plan not only how much, but also what kind of tourism we want.
And something else. The complaints on the most popular Aegean islands in June, as across southern Europe, are not limited to the excessive number of tourists or the fact that they leave money behind – they also have to do with uncontrolled behaviour.
Mateu Hernandez, general director of Barcelona Tourism, explains it very simply. “We don’t want tourists who come to do what they don’t do in their own countries.”