Greece does not have a problem with excessive tourism, but only faces an issue of excessive concentration of tourists in some areas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in a tourism-related event at the Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ on Tuesday night, ANA reports.
Specifically, the premier held a discussion with ‘Kathimerini’ newspaper Executive Editor Alexis Papachelas as part of the newspaper’s “Reimagine Tourism in Greece” initiative.
Our aim is to increase tourism revenues, Mitsotakis said, not just the number of tourists. He added that Greece must not acquire a problem with too many tourists while adding that infrastructures at some islands in the Aegean are severely stressed during the summer influx of visitors. He noted that with better infrastructure Greece could receive more visitors, and among the former, he cited the management of household waste, water reserves, and traffic on the streets.
“The question is whether we want visitors who want to spend more money,” the PM said, while cautioning against raising of prices for tourists because it could lead to Greek tourism’s loss of competitive ability.
Infrastructures need
Speaking of the need for more sustainable investments, PM Mitsotakis differentiated between infrastructures of national significance, a responsibility of the government, and those that depend on local government. Issues such as household waste management and recycling should be supported by local governments as well, and he cited the remote island of Tilos as a successful example.
In terms of Santorini and Mykonos islands, new building permits he said are banned until repercussions are reviewed and local plans are completed. The two globally known islands have great added value in the tourism product of Greece, but the pressure on the islands may be detrimental to the product, he warned.
Mitsotakis also reiterated that a third of cruise ship fees will be allocated to investments for protection from the climate crisis, which means a change in the regulatory framework is necessary in order to deal with these challenges. The introduction of every new tax “always troubles us a lot, and we want to be sure that the cost we transfer to the business owner is a cost that must not undermine the competitiveness of Greek tourism,” the premier stressed.
Airbnb
The PM said no new licenses for short-term rentals in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd districts of Athens will be issued, and he said that some Airbnb rentals in the capital may threaten the character of neighborhoods.
Short-term rentals allowed citizens to take advantage of their properties but did not start off with the purpose of competing with tourism, Mitsotakis said, while he said he would intervene, as Airbnb raised rental prices and left university students unable to afford rental housing.
In terms of the high cost of vacations for Greeks, the premier referred to the social tourism programs that allowed areas affected by storms such as Evros and Evia to see an influx of tourists, while he pointed out there are also locations in Greece that are cheaper for vacationers. “Inaccessible destinations are few, but this happens throughout the world,” Mitsotakis said.
The PM also asserted there would be no more extraordinary fees for tourism, while he also called for the protection of the natural beauty of the islands. “We must put the brakes on,” he said, “in order to avoid looking back ten years from now and say, ‘What on earth did we do?’ in the name of a short-term development.”
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: pixabay.com
