Greece threatened by overtourism while visitor spending falls

In May, total tourism revenue for the popular tourist destination of Greece rose by 6.8%. However, the country’s central bank recently shared figures showing that average spending per trip fell by 12.2%.

Katerina Kikilia, head of the Department of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, told Turkish news agency Anadolu that rising numbers of visitors represent a “great danger” to the country.

“Greece succeeded in attracting more tourists and extending the tourism season, consequently boosting its tourism income, which is of profound importance for the economy, in the post-pandemic period. But this came with a heavy cost,” she said.

Athens was visited by around seven million people in 2023, meaning it is one of the places most burdened by overtourism. There is a housing crisis in Athens that has been exacerbated by the increase in ‘golden visa’ investors, who have bought property in the city, said Kikilia.

“For example, in the central neighbourhood of Koukaki, school headmasters complain about the significantly decreasing number of pupils, as many families who couldn’t afford the skyrocketing rents had to move out,” she said.

“So many areas and neighbourhoods of Athens 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.”

This then leads to rising prices in supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, along with other essential services, she pointed out.

Combating the crisis

Kikilia suggested the tourism industry needs to be more selective to encourage spending to rise in line with arrivals.

“We need to restrict the tourism flows. We need to be more selective. We need to attract more tourists from middle and high-income classes, instead of those coming with a tight budget,” she told Anadolu.

Greek authorities are currently working on policies to including placing stricter regulations on short-term rentals, Kikilia said. She emphasised the need to involve the EU in devising policies to foster sustainable tourism policies, particularly since “overtourism is a phenomenon faced by many other countries … such as Spain, Italy and Croatia”.

She also proposed promoting a wider variety of tourism sectors including culture, or rural and mountain tourism, and encouraging holidaymakers to visit less frequented parts of the country.