Greece’s PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has issued a warning to UK tourists to cancel their Spain holidays and holiday in the European Union rival instead, downplaying concerns about overtourism
Greece is vying for the attention of UK tourists, suggesting they ditch their Spanish getaways and opt for a Greek holiday instead.
The country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has downplayed concerns about overtourism, instead highlighting the issue of concentrated tourist activity in specific areas during peak months. He said: “Greece does not have an overtourism problem; rather, it faces the challenge of concentrated tourist activity in specific destinations for a few months of the year.”
Speaking at the “Reimagine Tourism in Greece ” conference, Mitsotakis emphasized that the government will intervene with regulations when necessary. He said: “In certain Aegean islands, during peak months, the infrastructure is being stretched. With better infrastructure, theoretically, we could accommodate more tourists.”
Mitsotakis’ focus is on increasing revenue, rather than simply attracting more visitors. “The question is not whether we want more tourists, but whether we want tourists who will spend more in our country,” he said.
“Our priority is on boosting revenue. I am more interested in breaking revenue records, which is, of course, tied to the number of arrivals, but more importantly, I focus on tourism’s overall impact on the country’s development.”
“I don’t think we will see such incidents here,” he remarked, in reference to the protests and rallies igniting Spain throughout this summer season. During peak tourist time, an extra charge of 20 euros (£16.75) will be enforced on islands like Santorini and Mykonos, with other destinations setting lower tariffs according to tourism flow, reports the Daily Star.
This initiative is targeting congestion relief during the high season. Furthermore, authorities have assured that a portion of this income will be channelled to the local councils of cruise hotspots to boost infrastructural improvements. The prime minister also highlighted that, compared to Mykonos, Santorini confronts additional issues owing to its distinctive topography.
“Santorini urgently needs a new port. We have made the decision to initiate this as a project under the Ministry of Infrastructure, which must be completed as quickly as possible,” he declared.
