Andrea Zelinski
Momentum is building across the globe to restrict cruise traffic in some of the world's most popular destinations, and it appears Greece may be next to hop on that bandwagon.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government may restrict the number of berths or create a bidding process for ships to call at Greece's most popular islands, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. This could happen as soon as next year, according to the report.
Tourism makes up about a quarter of Greece's economic output, and tourism has only grown stronger since the pandemic. Some 32.7 million visitors traveled to Greece last year, an 18% increase from 2022.
But that growth has resulted in less than ideal conditions in some of its most visited destinations. As travel advisor Angela Hughes told me last month, Santorini was "absolutely miserable" when she visited there last summer. People were walking in the town of Oia in crowded herds in the same direction up the steep and narrow streets; had to stand in lines to snap pictures at viewpoints; and wait at least two hours in some cases to catch a ride back via the cable car instead of walking back down the steps that wind down its steep cliff to the island's base.
Santorini is a particularly urgent problem, Mitsotakis said.
"There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini, and they don't want the island to be swamped," Mitsotakis told Bloomberg. "Plus, the island can't afford it, even in terms of security."
Some 800 ships called in Santorini last year carrying 1.3 million people, a 17% increase over 2022, according to the Hellenic Ports Association.
Mykonos is another popular destination handling more cruisers. Mykonos recorded 749 cruise ship visits last year, an increase of more than 23% from 2022.
"Santorini is the most sensitive; Mykonos will be the second," Mitsotakis said.
CLIA introduced a five-year action plan to Greece late last year that included extending the cruise season and developing a berth allocation system and destination management plans.
CLIA said this month that it supports developing a berth management system in Mykonos to better distribute cruise ship arrivals, but it didn't comment specifically on Mitsotakis' plan to restrict the number of berths or create a bidding process for ships.
Greece isn't alone in wanting to restrict cruise traffic. As I reported in a cover story last month about the cruise industry's role in overtourism, other cities have also implemented rules or threatened measures to curb their cruise traffic, including Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice. In the U.S., we've seen attempts to curb traffic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and Key West, Fla.
Just three weeks ago, Juneau, Ala., announced a limit on daily berthing, to begin in 2026.