Can Greece Curb Cruise Ship Crowds? New Limits Proposed

Two famed Greek islands have become the latest battleground against cruise ship tourism overcrowding. In an interview with Bloomberg, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged local opposition to overtourism and said cruise ship caps are under consideration.

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He said, specifically highlighting the impacts on Santorini and Mykonos, “I think we’ll do it next year.” This could be a bidding process for berth slots or limiting the number of berths.

The Hellenic Ports Association data reported 800 cruise ship calls in Santorini throughout 2023, carrying about 1.3 million visitors.

Cruise ships have to tender offshore, which can result in long transfer waits for passengers and congestion ashore. Santorini is home to just 15,000 permanent residents.

The Sun Princess canceled a visit to Santorini last week, citing “cruise ship congestion.” It skipped the June 11 port call as four other ships were due to visit the same day.

Bloomberg reports that Mykonos receives nearly as many cruise ship visits as the Greek cruise industry, which grew 23% last year. Both islands are major vacation hotspots, particularly among luxury travelers. The Prime Minister cited opposition from other hotel-based tourists.

“There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini and they don’t want the island to be swamped,” he said. “Santorini is the most sensitive, Mykonos is the second.”

Greece welcomed more than 36 million people last year, up 21% from 2022, according to a Bank of Greece report. The Greek cruise industry generated €847 million in revenue in 2023, more than double the amount generated in 2022.

Greece isn’t alone in proposing action to quell rising overtourism fueled by the cruise industry. Venice, Barcelona and Mallorca in Spain, and Amsterdam have all imposed measures to limit the impacts of cruise ship traffic.