ATHENS – More than 30 million tourists with money to burn and free from COVID-19 restrictions are expected in Greece in 2023 in a push for all-out development but most Greeks will be sitting at home watching them.

Tourists will outnumber residents 3-1 over the course of the year and they’re flocking mostly to same overdeveloped, overcrowded spots where unlawful construction of resorts, beach bars and tavernas has taken over public beaches.

No government has been able to stop it, despite recent images of some demolitions on the island of Mykonos known for gouging visitors, and where a souvlaki that costs about. 2.30 euros ($2.79) in Athens can cost five times that much.

Half of Greeks said they can’t afford to vacation in their own country, said a survey by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA) on the new consumption habits of households in Greece, blaming inflation.

A near 6 percent growth in the economy in 2022- largely spurred by the return of tourists and international air traffic – hasn’t reflected in wage increases beyond the minimum being hiked, further limiting spending power.

Some 33 percent of respondents who do vacation said they will spend less money this year than the previous three years, which includes periods when few were able to vacation because of pandemic lockdowns and slowdowns.

And some 60 percent said their overall spending in 2023 will be less than in 2022 despite an economic recovery being touted, and 40 percent said their spending will be cut in half – and with nearly half of Greeks having no savings.

That’s in stark contrast to images of wild scenes on islands and the most popular tourist spots, like Santorini and Rhodes, being inundated with waves of arrivals elbowing each other for places on beaches and tourism areas.

Many Greeks also can’t afford the 5-Star resorts and luxury hotels popping up like crocuses in the spring, many of them foreign-financed and catering to the rich and super-rich, and driving up costs of accommodations elsewhere too.