Greece intends to limit the entry of cruise ships to its islands

The Greek authorities are considering the possibility of introducing restrictions on the number of cruise ships entering the Greek islands from 2025, announced Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

Despite the fact that a quarter of the national economy is tied to tourism, which in 2023 brought Greece 20.6 billion euros, the population is dissatisfied with the excessive influx of travelers from abroad. 

Streams of vacationers flock to islands with unsuitable infrastructure. So, the island of Santorini is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists, who are attracted by its volcanic landscapes and sunsets. According to the Association of Greek Ports, Santorini became the most popular island destination in Greece for cruise ships last year. 800 passenger ships entered there, carrying about 1.3 million tourists - almost 17% more than in 2022. 

And this is despite the fact that the population of the volcanic island is only about 15,000 local residents.