Greece Imposes New Disembarkation Fees On Cruise Passengers To Combat Overtourism And Enhance Local Infrastructure Across Its Most Popular Islands

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

In a decisive move to combat nan escalating rumor of overtourism, Greece has introduced caller fees for cruise passengers disembarking astatine its astir celebrated islands, including Mykonos and Santorini. This inaugural is portion of a broader strategy to alleviate nan strain connected section infrastructure and reside nan biology and societal challenges caused by wide tourism. The gross generated from these fees, projected to transcend €50 cardinal annually, will beryllium reinvested into enhancing nan islands’ infrastructure, which has been overwhelmed by nan expanding number of visitors. With nan fees aimed astatine regulating tourism flow, Greece is taking proactive steps to guarantee nan sustainable early of its iconic islands, which person go hotspots for world travelers.

Cruise passengers disembarking astatine Greece’s astir celebrated islands, Mykonos and Santorini, will soon look an further interest starting this summer. Between June 1 and September 30, each rider will beryllium charged €20 (£17.35). The charges will alteration importantly during nan off-season, ranging from €4 (£3.47) to €12 (£10.41) depending connected nan clip of year.

This caller regularisation besides applies to different Greek islands, pinch fees wished by nan season. Passengers visiting ports crossed Greece’s six land groups will beryllium charged €5 (£4.34) during nan summer, €3 (£2.60) successful nan enarthrosis seasons, and €1 (87p) successful nan winter.

Cruise companies and their agents will beryllium responsible for declaring these accumulated fees via a integer platform, ensuring payments are made quarterly. If costs is not made, Greek larboard authorities person nan powerfulness to forestall further calls to nan islands by nan cruise vessel and whitethorn moreover prohibit passengers from disembarking.

The preamble of these fees is portion of Greece’s effort to reside overtourism, which has placed immense unit connected nan infrastructure of its astir visited islands. With an expected yearly gross of much than €50 cardinal (£43 million), nan costs raised will beryllium directed towards improving section infrastructure, which has been stretched bladed owed to nan overwhelming number of visitors.

Passengers visiting ports crossed Greece’s six land groups will beryllium charged €5 (£4.34) during nan summer, €3 (£2.60) successful nan enarthrosis seasons, and €1 (87p) successful nan winter. Similarly, Mykonos, different awesome cruise port, saw 768 cruise ships and astir 1.29 cardinal visitors successful 2023, arsenic reported by nan Hellenic Ports Association. These 2 islands, on pinch Piraeus adjacent Athens, accounted for 57% of Greece’s cruise tourism successful 2023, according to nan Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The sheer measurement of visitors to these islands has led to biology and societal concerns. Local communities person been impacted by nan accelerated emergence successful spot prices, forcing galore residents retired of their homes. Water shortages and different biology challenges person besides go pressing issues arsenic nan islands struggle to accommodate nan ever-growing number of tourists.

As for nan caller fees, nan mobility remains whether cruise operators will walk nan costs connected to passengers directly, see them successful nan wide fare, aliases sorb nan charges themselves. While nan determination is still uncertain, experts propose that travelers should scope retired to their cruise operators for clarification. Will Sarson, a cruise master astatine Riviera Travel, recommends getting successful touch pinch nan usability if your upcoming cruise involves stops successful Greece, arsenic nan interest structures whitethorn impact your full cost.

Greece has introduced caller cruise rider fees for Mykonos, Santorini, and different celebrated islands to combat overtourism and protect section infrastructure. The gross will beryllium reinvested to amended nan islands’ overwhelmed accommodation and guarantee sustainable tourism.

This inaugural is simply a cardinal constituent of Greece’s larger scheme to reside nan biology and societal challenges posed by wide tourism. As cruise vessel tourism continues to grow, nan authorities is taking steps to guarantee that nan benefits of tourism are much evenly distributed and that nan section infrastructure tin grip nan influx of visitors.