Greece doubles down on its anti-cruise rebellion

Business Insider contacted the Greek government for further comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Cities, towns, and picturesque spots worldwide have been struggling with mass tourism, with locals and officials eager to make their areas more livable for residents.

Venice and Barcelona have introduced or raised tourist levies to reduce visitor numbers. New Zealand recently said it will triple its entry fee for foreign visitors to NZ$100 ($62).

Greece is the latest European country to impose measures to curb hoards of people arriving during the summer.

The Greek government also intends to moderate the number of cruise ships that dock simultaneously at certain ports to protect the local environment and combat water shortages on islands, per Reuters.

In 2023, 1.3 million people arrived at Santorini via around 800 cruise ships, according to data from the Hellenic Ports Association.

Mitsotakis said Sunday that part of the tourist tax revenues would be given to local communities to improve infrastructure, per Reuters.

But Greece’s economy relies heavily on tourism. According to Bank of Greece data, the estimated travel expenditure of non-residents during their stay in Greece last year stood at €20.5 billion ($22 billion).