Measures to tackle impact of overtourism
The government is launching a package of measures to preserve the long-term viability of Greek tourism, and to address issues caused by the growing number of visitors, which has already reached a new high.
The matter is expected to be broached by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the forthcoming Thessaloniki International Fair.
The package is expected to include interventions to improve competition, particularly between hotels and short-term rentals, as well as to alleviate the housing crisis in areas with high tourist occupancy and an increased number of short-term rental homes.
In this regard, initiatives are being encouraged to upgrade infrastructure and tackle issues such as water scarcity. Indicatively, a decision has been taken that will require swimming pools in areas with severe water scarcity to be filled entirely with sea water.
The agenda also includes the management of cruise ship itineraries by private individuals and a significant increase in the per-passenger disembarkation fee in saturated destinations.
At the same time, final decisions on the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece’s (KEDE) plan to raise the guest tax, which is now levied on hotel turnover, from 0.5% to 2%, are due in the coming days.
Speaking to Kathimerini, government sources said that “the explosive growth of tourism requires the implementation of rules to protect the final product, the preservation of the character of sensitive areas and the return of multiple benefits for local communities.”
The planned measures, these sources said, “are of a regulatory nature, with the aim of achieving a tourism development that improves the quality of the product provided and raises revenue, while reducing the side effects to the environment and the quality of life of permanent residents.”
