ATHENS – Only a couple of years after imploring tourists to come back after the COVID-19 pandemic, many Greeks are fed up with them and the government is struggling with how to control the numbers while simultaneously seeking more.

The Tourism Ministry’s campaign to get foreign visitors to come year round has largely succeeded – more than 31 million people, three times the country’s population, came in a record breaking 2023 that also brought in more than 20 billion euros ($21.82 billion) in critical revenues.

But most still come during the peak spring and summer months, cramming themselves into the same usual popular places like Santorini, with parts resembling an ant hill, and Mykonos, not exploring lesser-known quieter islands.

In a review of the dilemma – wanting tourists and their money but trying to find the tipping point where too many destroy the character of the places they visit and the reasons for going there – Euronews said tourism is straining the infrastructure.

https://www.euronews.com/2024/07/08/overrun-athens-how-the-greek-capital-is-finding-solutions-to-the-tourist-influx

On some islands, such as Santorini, there’s not enough water although luxury resorts and villas are filling swimming pools there, as well as around the country where they are also taking over public beaches.

It’s also affected Athens, once shunned by tourists who used it as a jumping off spot to reach islands and other areas but becoming a top European buzz city for its coffee shops and funky neighborhoods despite being essentially a concrete jungle.

Athens alone welcomed more than seven million tourists in 2023, and experts predict that it will jump by 20 percent this year, the news site said, adding that there’s anti-tourism graffiti popping up.

Katerina Kikilia, Professor of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, told Euronews: “We need rules. Athenians face daily social and environmental impacts. The housing crisis is huge.”