Speaking to the media, Gikas said details of a possible disembarkation fee hike could be revealed within a few days. “We support both traditional tourism and cruise ship arrivals. We are looking to increase the disembarkation fee to 10 euros [USD 11] at Santorini and other popular destinations,” Gikas told Greek broadcaster SKAI TV.
According to a recent comment by Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, disembarkation fees at Greek ports are among the lowest in the region. The fee increase is thought to start in Santorini and then be extended to the island of Mykonos later this year. The rise in cruise ship traffic has most negatively impacted these two islands.
The Greek PM is Mulling Cruise Ship Limits for Next Year
The Greek Prime Minister recently expressed concern about overcrowding on the two islands and vowed to limit cruise ship traffic. Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged a growing concern about small islands becoming overrun by thousands of cruise ship visitors and vowed to introduce cruise ship limits by next year.
Cruise Passengers Swarm the Greek Isles
Earlier this month, other tourists and residents in Santorini described a day of “chaos” as over 11,000 cruise passengers visited in a single day. This represents a more than 50% increase in the island’s permanent population. In late July, around 17,000 visited in a single day.
Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos welcomed government action on overtourism. Zorzos told Reuters he has advocated for cruise ship limits for several years. He proposed a cap of 8,000 cruise ship visitors a day.
In 2023, Santorini experienced a surge in cruise activity, with 800 cruise ship visits bringing around 1.3 million passengers to the island.
Greece is not the only country opposing cruise tourism. Amsterdam hiked its port tax by 37 percent in 2024.
Tags: Santorini, Mykonos, Greek Islands, Greek ports, many cruise ship
