I s there such a thing as too many tourists? The people of Greece certainly think so, as they recently demonstrated that despite the obvious benefits to the economy, tourism has brought many negatives, especially for ordinary citizens. According to media reports, tourism in Greece soared by a staggering 120 percent between 2019 and 2023 as thousands of visitors from throughout Europe and around the world flocked to the country to enjoy its historic sites such as the city of Athens and lounge on its many beautiful beaches. Greece, which survived a historic debt crisis that followed the country’s hosting of a hugely expensive US$11 billion-Olympic games in 2004, should have been overjoyed to report that in May 2023 alone, total tourism revenue increased by 6.
8 percent, as arrivals to the southeast European country rose by 21.3 percent. The Greek economy is booming, partly due to exploding tourism but the unease of citizens there is growing as locals complain they are being forced out of their neighbourhoods due to increasing rental prices – a direct consequence of the expanding accommodation needs of visitors.
“Locals are feeling the pinch and being squeezed out of their neighbourhoods as they simply can’t afford to live in places overrun with tourists,” was the way one publication described the situation. It was reported that many areas and neighbourhoods of Athens, for example, “have been occupied by short-term rental accommodation and have become tourist accommodation hubs, resulting in a shortage of houses for rent for workers, students and families”. You Might Be Interested In #BTEditorial – Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019 #BTEditorial – Sleeping and turning our cheeks on crime #BTEditorial – Let’s get serious about our waste management This has forced Greek authorities to develop policies that would impose stricter regulations on short-term rentals in a bid to protect locals’ livelihoods.
In fact, the situation has become so bad that some schools in tourist hot spots have very few children because families have moved from the areas to find more reasonably priced housing. For the most part, the demands of the tourism sector have aligned with that of the Barbadian society and there has been a happy coexistence. The sector’s growth has been accompanied by concomitant improvements in infrastructure such as roads, telecommunications, the sea and airport, and the road system.
The expansion of hotel plants has been generally welcomed by citizens, as the island is in a position to offer guests from around the world a quality of accommodation that would encourage them to return. Important also has been the expansion of job opportunities for locals and the build out of services that support the sector’s growth. At the same time, with the expansion of tourism in Barbados has come emerging concerns about the country’s carrying capacity and ability to adequately deliver quality services such as water to Barbadians and visitors.
Tourism, as economically valuable as it has become, is also capable of spawning some negative social and environmental developments of which the country’s authorities must attend and monitor. There is no denying that tourism development has helped to reshape land policy with the unwritten rule that land, even state land “must be used for its highest economic value”. It is this approach that is causing significant unease particularly about the disposal of state-owned properties that are on the coastline or near the coast.
These include properties in Christ Church, St Michael and St James. For many residents along Highway 1, their homes are within close proximity to the prized west coast, but very few have immediate access to the pristine beaches or even have sight of the coastal waters that are blocked by high walls and foliage of luxury villas, apartments and second home investments of non-residents. Having seen the lived experience of residents along coastal areas of most of St James and St Peter, people who reside in coastal communities from St Philip, St John, St Joseph and St Andrew are more alert and sensitive to tourism expansion in those naturally rugged rural Atlantic Ocean scapes.
We do not perceive that these rural residents are opposed to tourism development, and we understand their obvious fears. They see the high-rise, Miami-esque structures that are now en vogue, and the elevated land prices on the west coast that make beachfront living near impossible for average citizens. We support balanced tourism development that takes into account the desires and needs of the community, that considers the preservation of the environment and community life, while also balancing the needs of the economy.
With this the opportunities for fractures between the sector and the society are tempered..
