Greece to impose €20 levy on cruise guests to curb over-tourism
Greece has announced plans to impose a €20 levy on cruise ship passengers visiting Santorini and Mykonos
According to Reuters, prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday (8 September) said the charge will be imposed on arrivals to the islands during the summer.
Speaking at a press conference, Mitsotakis said excessive tourism was only a problem in a few destinations. “Greece does not have a structural over-tourism problem,” he claimed.
He continued: “Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with. Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.”
In 2023 Greece generated £20 billon from its tourism industry on the back of nearly 31 million arrivals. It is thought that part of the revenues from the tax will be returned to local communities to be invested in infrastructure.
The government is also considering plans to regulate the number of cruise ships that arrive simultaneously at certain destinations, while rules to protect the environment and tackle water shortages may also be introduced.
The curbs are the latest in a string of regulations floated by popular holiday hotspots in an attempt to tackle burgeoning visitor numbers.
Greece plans latest in string of cruise tourism curbs
In 2019 Venice banned large cruise ships from entering its Guidecca canal and earlier this year, Barcelona announced plans to raise tourist tax for cruise passengers who visit the city for less than 12 hours.
Prior to that Amsterdam said it will relocate its cruise terminal away from the city centre by 2035 in a bid to combat “nuisance” and over-tourism.
