A 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, another measure announced earlier this month to battle over-tourism, will take effect next year, Kefalogianni said.
Greece plans to impose a 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism.“We appreciate the Government’s desire to ensure a balanced and sustainable tourism in Greece. We welcome the Minister’s comments on the importance of port infrastructure to improve tourism flows, and the wish to promote new destinations, which align with CLIA’s Action Plan for Greece, adopted last year. We also recognize the Government’s desire to increase home porting, given the substantial economic impact it brings.
At the same time, we encourage the Government to consider the potential economic impact of the new passenger fee on cruise tourism and reinforce our call for meaningful consultation with cruise operators, impacted municipalities, ports and tourism stakeholders.
In 2025, the new berth management systems will be in place in Santorini and Mykonos. We therefore urge the Government to apply the new fee from 2026 onwards allowing the impact of these systems to be taken into consideration.”
“We will continue working closely with the Government on sustainable tourism initiatives that benefit visitors and residents alike”, CLIA statement concluded.
Greece reported record tourism revenue of 20.6 billion euros last year.
Tags: Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA),Olga Kefalogianni, Greece
