New €20 Cruise Tax Announced for Santorini and Mykonos to Battle Overtourism

   By: Frank M 

September 9, 2024

Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed a plan to levy a €20 cruise tax on visiting guests to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos.

The tax will apply during the peak summer cruise calls, although the PM has yet to share the specifics.

Santorini, Mykonos Flooded by Cruise Guests Each Summer

Both islands are at the heart of the over-tourism debate locally and nationally. During the summer, multiple cruise calls in a single day can almost double the islands’ population. Mitsotakis said “bold” action is needed now but the country is not “hostile to the tourism industry.”  

“Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions,” he told reporters at a weekend press briefing.

“Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem but some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with. The cruise industry has put a strain on Santorini and Mykonos.”

He said part of the funds generated from the cruise tax will go to support infrastructure improvements on the two islands. “We believe that the situation has reached a point where the infrastructure limits are actually being tested,” the PM added.

Sun Princess at Mykonos (Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)

Santorini has seen community opposition and even land-based guests – flying in and staying in hotels and villas – have commented about “chaotic” scenes as cruise guests arrive on ship tenders.

 

Cruise Ship Limits Also Mooted

Celebrity Solstice in Santorini, Greece (Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises)

Santorini officials have proposed a limit of 8,000 cruise guests daily and the national government said it would regulate the number of cruise ship calls at both islands. “It’s impossible for an island such as Santorini to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time,” said Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

Earlier this summer, the Prime Minister confirmed cruise ship limits are under consideration. “I think we’ll do it next year. This could be a bidding process for berth slots or limiting the number of berths,” he said.