Friday, August 16, 2024 The impact of over tourism on Greece’s popular destinations has reached critical levels, with islands like Santorini and Mykonos facing unprecedented challenges. Santorini, a picturesque island beloved by millions worldwide, is grappling with the influx of up to 17,000 tourists in a single day. This surge is causing economic inequalities to widen, as revealed by new data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Tourism has long been a double-edged sword for Greece, bringing both wealth and challenges. The ELSTAT data has shed light on the stark economic disparities between popular tourist destinations and other regions of Greece. Santorini, with its modest size of 29 square miles and a population of just over 15,200, generated a staggering 743.
8 million euros (£633.5 million) in turnover from accommodation and catering in 2023. This figure alone represents 3.
7% of the country’s total. Similarly, Mykonos, another highly sought-after destination, with a population of only 10,700 and an area of 33 square miles, saw a turnover of 504 million euros (£429 million). In stark contrast, larger regions such as Western Macedonia, spanning 3,649 square miles and home to over 250,000 people, generated a mere 140 million euros (£119 million) in the same sector.
The data further reveals that while the Southern Aegean region, which includes popular islands like Rhodes, accounts for 18.3% of Greece’s total tourism turnover, other regions struggle to c.