The municipality is requesting the institutional and legal establishment of a fee exclusively for day visitors, in order for this measure to be applied in the case of Symi, which is burdened with 1,000-5,000 visitors daily, by submitting a relevant petition to the relevant ministries.
The municipality already made a relevant decision on Tuesday, July 15, which concerns the establishment of a special fee of three euros per person exclusively for day visitors to Symi, as it was considered that the island, during the summer, faces a serious problem of overconcentration of visitors without overnight stays, mainly from Rhodes.
Control of overtourism
The need to impose the fee, according to the Municipality’s reasoning, arises from the fact that daily mass tourism, despite the obvious benefits to the local economy, does not contribute proportionately to municipal revenues, while at the same time causing overloading of infrastructure (water supply, sewage, waste, traffic congestion), burdening the cultural heritage and public space while leaving no substantial income to the Municipality, as these visitors do not stay overnight, therefore the accommodation tax is not paid either.
By imposing the fee, the benefits for the municipality will be the existence of a stable income, the strengthening of local autonomy and the municipality’s capabilities to respond to increased needs, fair redistribution – whoever burdens contributes – and the promotion of sustainable tourism development and control of overtourism.
Where will the revenue be directed?
The planned Visitor Fee (“Visitor Fee”) will be paid compulsorily by every visitor entering Symi without an overnight stay, via a daily ferry line.
It will be collected through ferry companies (ticket + fee) and through agencies that manage excursions, with the aim of offsetting the effects of mass tourism, supporting infrastructure and protecting the natural and cultural environment.
Specifically, the revenues will be collected directly by the Municipality of Symi through a revenue code in the budget and will be allocated exclusively for:
enhancing cleanliness, infrastructure, recycling,
protection of cultural monuments,
visitor management
According to the municipality, the measure can be set either as a pilot through a Ministerial Decision (e.g. for islands with a particularity), or by legislative regulation of a special fee in favor of local authorities, or as a local regulatory decision in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Shipping (as it concerns port entry). In addition, it can be promoted through the “Sustainable Tourism Tax” model already applied on Mediterranean islands (e.g. Mallorca, Venice).
