Greece will impose a new tariff of 20 euros for each tourist that disembarks from a cruise on the island of Santorini or in the one of Mykonos during the summer season, in an attempt to tackle the negative consequences of mass tourism.
The Greek Prime Minister, the conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakishad announced a few days ago that his government will introduce a tax on all cruise ship visitors who disembark during the high season on the Greek islands.
“(This rate) will be higher in Santorini and Mykonos, and lower in the rest of the Greek islands“Mitsotakis said, stressing that the basis for tourism development must be “the protection of Greece’s unique natural environment.”
The two islands mentioned, both located in the Cyclades archipelago, are home to about 40,000 inhabitants, but last year they were visited by about 7 million touristsaccording to data from their respective town councils to which EFE had access.
The Government also plans regulate the number of cruises which are allowed to arrive daily to certain islands to avoid the phenomenon that occurred this summer in Santorini, when on some days two cruise ships arrived simultaneously, disembarking some 16,000 tourists who flooded the island in a few hours.
On the other hand, starting next year, between April and October, a Tax on short-term rentals, hotels and other accommodationsMitsotakis added, referring to planned measures to curb the harmful effects of mass tourism.
“A good part of this income will be returned to local communities so that they can improve their infrastructure in order to cope with the load (of tourists) they receive every summer,” he promised.
Many of the Greek tourist islands faced a serious crisis this summer. water shortage during peak season as their supply networks cannot cope with the huge demand.
In this regard, the conservative leader pointed out that incentives will be given for the development of greenhouse crops, which are very productive and at the same time use much less water than traditional crops.
Regarding the housing crisis facing Athens, aggravated by tourism, Mitsotakis announced that “from now on” and for a year the establishment of new rentals will be prohibited in the short term in the centre of the Greek capital.
“One person’s right to earn money cannot override another person’s right to own a home,” the Conservative leader stressed.
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