The two islands are at the heart of Greece’s fight against overtourism often almost doubling their population during busy days when multiple cruise ships call.
“Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem but some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with,” the PM said during a press conference.
“Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions,” he said.
“The cruise industry has put a strain on Santorini and Mykonos.”
A portion of the cruise passenger tax will be used to improve infrastructure on the islands.
Mitsotakis also said ‘bold’ cruise ship limits are being looked at for the two islands.
“It is important to observe sustainability rules in everything that is built from now on,” he told reporters.
“To put the brakes on islands where we believe that the situation has reached a point where the infrastructure limits are actually being tested.”
Recently, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni called for cruise ship quotas, and Santorini officials proposed a daily limit of 8,000 cruise passengers per day from next year.
“It’s impossible for an island such as Santorini to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time,” she said.
However, the Prime Minister said it is ‘dangerous to present Greece as a country that is hostile to tourism.’
Tags: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece, Greek islands, tax
