Greece announces €20 cruise tax for island tourism

The Greek government will introduce a €20 fee for tourists visiting the popular islands of Santorini and Mykonos on cruise ships during the high season summer months.

Both islands are at the forefront of Greece’s overtourism debate, with their resident populations frequently overwhelmed by the numbers of tourists.

During a press conference Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem but some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with.

“Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos, and this is why we are proceeding with interventions,” he added.

A select amount of the passenger tax will help fund infrastructure improvements on the islands.

The prime minister stressed the importance of observing “sustainability rules in everything that is built from now on” and the need “to put the brakes on islands where we believe that the situation has reached a point where the infrastructure limits are actually being tested”.

Santorini officials suggested a daily limit of 8,000 cruise passengers per day starting next year.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said: “It’s impossible for an island such as Santorini to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time.”

At the same time, Mitsotakis said it was “dangerous to present Greece as a country that is hostile to tourism”.