17,000 visitors in one day. The Greek Mediterranean island of Santorini collapses under the hordes of tourists. The city council even briefly declares a lockdown.
Santorini – With its white houses, azure sea and bright sun, Santorini is one of the most picturesque islands in the Mediterranean. It is hardly surprising that this holiday gem in Greece attracts travelers from all over the world. According to Eurostat data, more than 100 tourists per inhabitant visit the island every year. Many of them arrive on cruise ships. Around 500 cruise ships dock in Santorini every year, as ekapija reported in 2018 – and the number has been rising for years.
Santorini in a state of emergency: mass tourism pushes Greek island to its limits
But the island seems to be reaching its limits, perhaps even exceeding them. This recently led to an unprecedented announcement by Mayor Panos Kavallaris. He published an “emergency notice” on his Facebook page.
“Another difficult day for our city and our island. With the arrival of 17,000 visitors from cruise ships!” he wrote. His solution? A lockdown. “Please reduce your movements!” Kavallaris appealed to residents. They should stay at home when the masses of tourists flood the island.
17,000 visitors came in a single day. Extreme overcrowding for Santorini, where just over 15,000 people live. But does that justify a lockdown? Kavallaris’ call immediately sparked a storm of indignation in Greece. The post was deleted just 15 minutes after it was published. But the screenshot was already in the Greek press and the debate was raging: Is mass tourism damaging the island? How can Santorini find sustainable solutions?
Lockdown demanded on Santorini: How mass tourism is claiming an island
Only recently, those responsible on Santorini announced that they wanted to limit the number of cruise tourists per day. So far, however, this has not been achieved, much to the chagrin of the locals. Protests against mass tourism, such as those taking place on Mallorca, or concrete plans for a ban on cruises, such as in Venice, have not yet taken place in Greece. But the mood seems to be changing. The newspaper Ta Nea commented: “Even if one assumes that the announcement was made with the best of intentions, it is obvious that the situation in Santorini is unbearable.”
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