Things are getting serious for the friends of Greece, writes the newspaper Bild on its website under the title “34 Greek islands demand entry fee for tourists”: A total of 34 islands, including dream destinations such as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kos and Paxos, are demanding the introduction of an entry fee for day visitors. The Regional Association of Municipalities of the South Aegean has sent an urgent letter to the Greek government, addressed to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The letter, which is available to Bild, was first reported by the newspaper Kathimerini. The content of the letter? 34 islands are demanding permission to introduce a type of ticket modeled after Venice, noting that thousands of visitors use roads, water and sewage every day, but without contributing to municipal coffers.” Addressing the millions of German tourists who visit Greece every year, Bild reports: “The letter concerns the following 34 Aegean islands: Agathonisi, Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Arkoi, Astypalaia, Folegandros, Ios, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastellorizo, Tzia, Kimolos, Kos, Kythnos, Lipsi, Leros, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Nisyros, Paros, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini, Serifos, Sifnos, Sikinos, Symi, Syros, Tilos and Tinos. More and more dream destinations are turning against mass tourism, with entry fees and higher taxes. From 2024, Venice will charge 5 euros per visitor per day, while Paris and Rome have also significantly increased their tourist taxes. At the same time, Iceland and Scotland are introducing new overnight taxes to protect the environment and infrastructure. Many islands in the Mediterranean are following suit: In the Balearic Islands, holidaymakers pay up to 3.50 euros per night. Similar models are in place in Croatia and Cyprus, with the aim of slowing down the influx of visitors and spreading the costs more fairly.”
Bild: 34 Greek islands demand entry fee for tourists
