ATHENS – Images and videos that went viral after showing tourists having to wade through neck-deep water to reach a remote beach on Crete pushed the return of a floating platform the government banned in an attempt to slow overtourism.

While public beaches across the country are being taken over by private businesses with government leases, violating the Constitution, attempts are being made to limit tourism in some places, exempting the Athens Riviera and luxury resorts.

The tourists on Crete were trying to reach Balos Beach and had to get off the back of a ferry and wade through deep water, leaving behind children, the elderly and those who didn’t want to make the watery passage.

Videos showed the tourists struggling in the water while trying to keep their possessions dry over their heads to reach the reach that’s 53 kilometers (33 miles) from Hania and can be reached only by boat.

The British newspaper The Daily Mail, citing the Greek news outlet in.gr said that the floating platform that’s a bridge between ferries and the beach was removed to keep tourists from going there.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13629063/Disbelief-Greece-terrified-tourists-told-disembark-ferry-SEA-wade-neck-deep-water-reach-beauty-spot-officials-banned-use-floating-platform.html

But state broadcaster ERT said it was restored after the embarrassing photos and videos showed the tourists almost swimming from the ferry to the beach and those who couldn’t – or wouldn’t go in the water – left behind on the boat.

“The platform was removed by mistake, but now it has been repositioned and the situation is better,” Kissamos Mayor Giorgos Mylonakis, told ERT about the quick turnaround following the publicity.

“It’s not only a matter of safety, but also of the visitors’ general experience. Balos is one of the most beautiful places in Greece and we must ensure the best possible experience for everyone,” he said.

The platform is an interim solution until floating docks and anchorages are set up at the scenic beach to make it easier for more people to get there at the same time the government said it wants to limit how many can.

Mylonakis also said the management and supervision of the platform should be granted either to the Municipality or to the owners of the cruise ships, Greece pulling out all the stops to bring in as many tourists as possible.

But the New Democracy government said it’s aware the overtourism in some popular islands is at risk of destroying the reason people go there and straining infrastructure to the breaking point, especially water resources.

At the same time, however, the government is trying to lure more foreign investors in tourism and luxury resorts as the rich are flocking to Greece with few limits on the takeover of beaches and coastal spaces.

With the help of a rope and ferry crew, the passengers were forced out of the hatch and into the crystal waters to reach the beach – but the reason behind the passengers having to disembark the ferry remains unknown, the Daily Mail said.

Some passengers in the water could be heard nervously laughing, and according to witnesses many were too frightened to even attempt the jump. A report by zarpanews stated one American tourist said it was an ‘unacceptable situation’ for the passengers on board the ferry – which can carry up to 900 people.

“People have to walk through neck-deep water to reach the edge of the sea. Elderly people are unable to walk,” they said. One added: “Most people stayed on the ship out of fear. Only about 40 people got off and everyone came back angry and disappointed.’

The lagoon is renowned in Crete for its pristine white sand and exotic turquoise waters and boasts rare animals and plants that have protected status, including Eleanora falcons, monk seals and loggerhead sea turtles, the newspaper said.

Two weeks earlier a tourist posted on TripAdvisor a similar experience there. “Unlike my previous experience in 2021, this time I was not informed that the boat no longer docks at Balos. Instead, it stops 10 meters (33 feet) away from the shore, forcing passengers to disembark into deep water.”

The post said that, “Disembarking was chaotic and frustrating, taking over 1 hour and 45 minutes to get everyone off the boat. Many people struggled because they couldn’t swim, adding to the chaos. It’s baffling that the government prohibits boats from docking in Balos Bay but allows them to stop 10 meters away. This rule seems nonsensical and severely impacts the experience.”

After begging tourists to come when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many Greeks not don’t want them although tourism brings in as much as 20 percent of the country’s annual income, more than 20 billion euros ($21.84 billion) in 2023.

Graffiti is growing in Athens against the hordes of tourists, many using short-term rental platforms like Airbnb that have emptied neighborhoods of long-term residents, created a housing shortage and spiked rents out of reach.