By Evi Chrysoheri,
The summer season is, for most people, an opportunity for relaxing holidays. Among the most famous summer destinations, Greece falls definitely on top. The Greek islands, also known as “the diamonds of the Aegean”, with their turquoise waters and abundant sunshine, famous sunsets, combined with Greek traditions and, especially, the cuisine, motivate people from all over the world to spend their holidays in the hospitable country. Exactly because of this advertisement and the profiteering of Greeks, as tourism is a source of wealth for countless seasonal shops, the phenomenon of overtourism has emerged.
Another reason why Greece is a country with high visitor traffic is its ancient civilization, since monuments that have been preserved and works of art kept in museums attract the interest of foreign audiences. Thus, many times Greeks, taking advantage of the fruits of their ancient ancestors, direct advertisements featuring these ancient monuments on users’ screens. In this way, Greeks claim to offer you a carefree, peaceful vacation that will make someone forget their obligations and get in touch with their well-known and ancient civilization and how it has evolved up to today.
However, in some islands like Santorini, Rhodes, etc., tourists faced such crowdedness that there was no room for rest and tranquility. As a result, the increased demand led to skyrocketing prices that could be considered unreasonable. Many Greek citizens can agree with this statement, as vacation in their own country is prohibitive, due the high cost, combined with the prolonged economic crisis they are experiencing. On the other hand, the summer season opens up a large number of job positions with fair compensation, compared to the country’s minimum wage. This can help some during the period of the economic crisis, but the work is so laborious and exhausting under the heat of the Greek summer that the positions are not always filled, and the remaining staff bears the burden.
Specifically during this season, Santorini reached the number of 17,000 tourists, while the permanent residents of the island number 15,480. This led the local municipal authority to publish an announcement advising local residents to stay in their homes to avoid difficulties in their “movements”. The situation exacerbated the water shortage problem that the islands suffer from, “forcing” visitors to bathe in swimming pools. This situation alters the quality of life for local residents, at least for the three months of summer, as their normal routines are dramatically disrupted, making life more difficult for both the residents and the visitors.
Another impact of overtourism is the exploitation and destruction of the natural landscape. To accommodate the large influx of tourists, there is constant construction of new, larger hotel complexes, Airbnb places, shops and other facilities. This concludes in the alteration and degradation of the natural beauty of the islands, which is the very reason for their fame. The residents of these busy destinations can often develop feelings of aversion, anger, annoyance, and repulsion towards tourists, as they make their daily lives more difficult, which leads to the emergence of the phenomenon of “tourist phobia”. This is exactly what is happening in Barcelona, where there have been multiple protests by locals. But the phenomenon of overtourism can be addressed by creating better infrastructure, organization and strictly limiting the number of visitors, as there is practically not enough space. Even promoting alternative destinations within Greece would help combat this problem, as overtourism is not a national phenomenon. Simultaneously, this would help the populations of regional areas where a significant part of their income comes from tourism.
Finally, the issue is known to the government authorities, who should take immediate and appropriate action to relieve the citizens of these areas. They should not focus on the number of tourists entering the country annually, as a higher number does not necessarily translate to enormous profits since much tourism is characterized as cheap, due to the reduced spending during their vacations.
Reference
- ΕΙΝΑΙ ΜΟΝΟ Η ΣΑΝΤΟΡΙΝΗ ΘΥΜΑ ΥΠΕΡΤΟΥΡΙΣΜΟΥ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ;. The total business. Available here
