Santorini Joins San Francisco, New Orleans, Hong Kong, Phuket, Bangkok In Shocking Tourism Slump, Here’s Why Tourists Are Staying Away

Published on August 28, 2025

By: Tuhin Sarkar

Santorini joins San Francisco, New Orleans, Hong Kong, Phuket, and Bangkok successful a shocking tourism slump, and here’s why visitors are staying away. Once-crowded streets, bustling harbours, and vibrant hotels successful these celebrated destinations now show a very different story. Tourism is slowing, and nan reasons are some analyzable and urgent. Santorini is weighed down by a caller cruise taxation and years of overtourism. San Francisco feels nan effect of falling world visitors.

New Orleans suffers from nan lowest edifice occupancy among U.S. cities. Hong Kong sees arrivals turn but spending fall. Phuket and Bangkok struggle arsenic Chinese arrivals plunge and edifice revenues drop. Trade wars, inflation, and unstable economies adhd to nan pressure. Together, they overgarment a image of a world manufacture astatine a turning point. These cities must accommodate aliases consequence losing their shine. Santorini, San Francisco, New Orleans, Hong Kong, Phuket, and Bangkok are learning this instruction fast.

Santorini Suffers Tourism Decline successful 2025

Santorini, 1 of nan world’s astir celebrated destinations, is facing a crisp downturn. In nan 2nd 4th of 2025, revenues from accommodation and nutrient services fell by much than 20 percent compared pinch nan aforesaid play successful 2024. The Hellenic Statistical Authority reported a 22.1 percent autumn successful hotels and a 21 percent driblet successful restaurants. These figures people nan steepest diminution among each Greek islands. For a spot that has built its personality astir sunsets and luxury stays, this downturn has shaken nan section economy. The autumn exposes really limited Santorini has go connected wide arrivals.

Corfu and Zakynthos Power Ahead

While Santorini faltered, different islands surged ahead. Corfu led nan federation pinch a 10.7 percent summation successful tourism revenues. Its beardown capacity was matched by Zakynthos, which recorded a 7.3 percent emergence successful nutrient work sales. Chania successful Crete besides showed resilience, pinch a smaller but still affirmative summation of 2.7 percent. These numbers item nan uneven image of Greek tourism successful 2025. Some islands are thriving, while others are struggling. For Corfu and Zakynthos, nan gains underline their expertise to pull visitors pinch divers offerings, from beaches to family-friendly resorts.

National Tourism Economy Remains Resilient

Despite Santorini’s crisis, nan nationalist image is much stable. Greece’s accommodation assemblage wide grew 2.6 percent successful Q2 2025, generating €2.97 cardinal successful revenues. The nutrient work assemblage fell 2.6 percent, reaching €2.72 billion, but losses were offset by beardown performances connected respective islands. These mixed results propose that Greece’s tourism system is not collapsing but shifting. Travellers are exploring caller destinations beyond nan accustomed hotspots. While Santorini struggles pinch saturation, different islands are benefiting from spreading demand

Tourism successful 2025 is nary longer astir maturation alone. Around nan world, respective celebrated cities are seeing crisp downturns successful visitors, edifice stays, and spending. The latest information from August 2025 reveals really vulnerable metropolis tourism tin beryllium erstwhile faced pinch overtourism, caller taxes, information crises, and shifting traveller choices. While immoderate regions proceed to thrive, iconic cities specified arsenic Santorini, Bangkok, San Francisco, New Orleans, Jerusalem, and Hong Kong are facing awesome falls. This study explains what is happening, why it matters, and what it could mean for nan early of world travel.

Santorini Faces Deep Tourism Plunge

Santorini successful Greece, agelong a dream destination for travellers, is suffering its worst tourism situation successful years. According to nan Hellenic Statistical Authority, accommodation revenues fell by much than 22 percent successful nan 2nd 4th of 2025 compared pinch nan aforesaid play successful 2024. Restaurants and nutrient work businesses fared conscionable arsenic badly, pinch a 21 percent decline.

This is striking because different Greek islands specified arsenic Corfu and Zakynthos are thriving. Corfu saw maturation of much than 10 percent and Zakynthos recorded a 7 percent emergence successful eating revenues. Nationally, Greece’s tourism assemblage remained steady. Santorini unsocial collapsed, showing really susceptible a destination tin beryllium erstwhile it becomes over-dependent connected luxury stays and cruise arrivals.

A caller cruise rider taxation has added much pressure. From July 2025, each visitant arriving by vessel successful Santorini must salary €20 successful nan highest summertime season. Policymakers reason that nan levy will protect nan vulnerable island, but businesses fearfulness it whitethorn further trim visitant numbers. Santorini is now astatine a crossroads, forced to rethink its reliance connected wide tourism.

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv See Arrivals Collapse

Israel’s main gateways, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, stay severely affected by nan ongoing conflict. In July 2025, charismatic statistic showed a autumn of much than 21 percent successful tourer arrivals compared pinch nan aforesaid period successful 2024. June was moreover worse, pinch numbers down by complete 40 percent twelvemonth connected year.

The driblet has led to edifice cancellations, circuit suspensions, and quiet streets successful areas that usually pull millions of visitors each summer. Tourism is captious for Jerusalem’s practice system and Tel Aviv’s hospitality sector, yet nan instability has driven travellers to safer destinations. Hotels are now forced to target home guests aliases business usage alternatively than leisure tourists.

The autumn is not only an economical situation but besides a taste loss. Sites that link millions of travellers pinch history and belief are opinionated quiet. The outlook for betterment depends connected stableness successful nan region, which whitethorn return clip to return.

Bangkok and Phuket Struggle pinch Falling Demand

Thailand is besides showing signs of weakness successful 2025. Bangkok, nan country’s superior and its astir visited city, has recorded falling edifice occupancy. Rates dropped from 76 percent successful nan first 4th to conscionable complete 72 percent successful nan second. Revenue per room declined by much than 10 percent successful nan aforesaid period.

The autumn comes arsenic Thailand’s overseas arrivals for nan twelvemonth to August were down much than 7 percent compared pinch 2024. Travellers from China, erstwhile nan biggest root market, person not returned astatine nan expected pace. This has peculiarly wounded Phuket, wherever reports propose Chinese arrivals dropped by almost half during nan debased season.

These figures item really delicate Thailand’s tourism is to outer markets. While home recreation and location visitors stay stable, nan absence of ample Chinese circuit groups is leaving a spread that is difficult to fill. Bangkok’s nightlife, shopping malls, and temples stay popular, but spending powerfulness is weakening.

San Francisco Feels nan International Visitor Gap

In nan United States, San Francisco is facing a different challenge. Domestic tourism is holding up, but world visitors are falling. The city’s tourism committee projects a 3.2 percent driblet successful overseas visitors for 2025, pinch spending by these travellers down by 2.7 percent.

This matters because world visitors enactment longer and walk more. San Francisco’s world image arsenic a cultural, business, and tech hub relies heavy connected overseas arrivals. Merchants crossed Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square person already reported little footfall during awesome holidays specified arsenic nan Fourth of July.

The autumn is linked to world economical headwinds, rate fluctuations, and a slower return of Asian markets. It besides reflects shifting choices by world travellers, who whitethorn for illustration cheaper U.S. cities aliases destinations successful Europe and Asia. For San Francisco, nan situation is to rebuild assurance and pull high-spending visitors back.

New Orleans Marks Lowest Occupancy Among U.S. Cities

New Orleans, 1 of America’s astir unsocial taste capitals, is besides experiencing a tourism slump. In June 2025, edifice occupancy successful nan metropolis stood astatine conscionable 53.8 percent. This was nan lowest among nan apical 25 edifice markets successful nan United States.

The diminution is alarming because New Orleans depends heavy connected its show calendar, nutrient scene, and nightlife. Weak edifice occupancy suggests that visitors are not filling rooms moreover during cardinal summertime events. Some analysts constituent to rising costs, information concerns, and title from different confederate cities arsenic imaginable causes.

If nan inclination continues, nan section economy, which depends connected tourism for thousands of jobs, could look deeper strain. For now, hotels and restaurants are moving to create stronger home offers to equilibrium retired nan weaker travel of world and long-haul travellers.

Hong Kong Tourism Hit by Spending Slump

Hong Kong presents a different picture. Visitor numbers are rising aft years of restrictions, but spending is falling. Retail sales, which enactment arsenic a proxy for tourism expenditure, fell by 3.3 percent successful nan first half of 2025 compared pinch nan aforesaid play successful 2024.

This suggests that visitors are either spending little aliases choosing cheaper options. Analysts statement that cross-border recreation from Hong Kong residents into mainland China has besides reduced home unit demand. Shops and luxury brands that erstwhile relied connected mainland visitors are emotion nan impact.

The autumn successful walk shows that counting arrivals unsocial does not bespeak nan wellness of a tourism economy. Hong Kong’s situation is to support its position arsenic a shopping and business hub while diversifying beyond retail-driven tourism.

Why Famous Cities Are Losing Tourists

These city-level declines are not random. They bespeak wider themes shaping world tourism. In immoderate cases, conflict and governmental instability, arsenic seen successful Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, thrust visitors away. In others, overtourism policies and taxes, arsenic successful Santorini, alteration visitant flows.

Economic shifts besides play a role. San Francisco shows really world downturns impact high-value world markets. Bangkok and Phuket uncover nan risks of over-reliance connected a azygous country, specified arsenic China. Hong Kong demonstrates that arrivals unsocial are not capable if visitant spending powerfulness declines. New Orleans highlights really title and anemic cognition tin wounded moreover iconic destinations.

The Bigger Picture for Global Travel

Despite these declines, world tourism wide remains beardown successful 2025. Many destinations specified arsenic Spain, Paris, and Tokyo are mounting records. Yet nan struggles of cities for illustration Santorini, Bangkok, San Francisco, and Jerusalem show really uneven nan betterment is.

Tourists coming are much selective. They want value, safety, and authenticity. They besides respond quickly to caller taxes, governmental risks, aliases overcrowding. Cities that neglect to accommodate consequence crisp falls, while those that diversify offerings tin thrive.

For governments and businesses, nan instruction is clear. Tourism cannot beryllium near to chance. It needs observant planning, finance successful infrastructure, and policies that equilibrium maturation pinch sustainability.

Conclusion: A Turning Point for Global Tourism

As of August 2025, celebrated cities astir nan world are facing tourism plunges that item nan fragility of nan industry. Santorini’s steep fall, Jerusalem’s quiet streets, Bangkok’s little occupancy, San Francisco’s missing overseas visitors, New Orleans’ anemic hotels, and Hong Kong’s spending slump each show nan aforesaid story.

Tourism is powerful but volatile. Cities that trust excessively heavy connected 1 market, 1 season, aliases 1 type of traveller look nan top risks. The early of world recreation will beryllium to destinations that adapt, diversify, and protect what makes them unique. For travellers, these shifts mean caller opportunities and challenges arsenic nan world’s tourism representation continues to change.

New Cruise Passenger Tax Reshapes Tourism

From July 1, 2025, Greece introduced a caller cruise rider tax. The levy varies by play and port. In Santorini and Mykonos, during highest summertime months, visitors salary €20 each. At different Greek ports, nan charges scope from €1 successful nan debased play to €5 successful summer. Revenues will money infrastructure upgrades, biology protection, and taste preservation. Authorities reason nan taxation is needed to negociate overtourism and protect vulnerable islands. Yet section businesses fearfulness nan added costs whitethorn further trim arrivals. For Santorini, already facing a 22 percent autumn successful edifice income, nan argumentation adds much uncertainty.

Balancing Tourism and Sustainability

Santorini’s steep autumn highlights nan urgent situation of balancing maturation pinch sustainability. The land has agelong been a world awesome of Greek tourism, pinch whitewashed houses, caldera views, and luxury resorts. But overtourism has strained its resources. The caller taxation is meant to limit uncontrolled arrivals, peculiarly from cruise ships. Policymakers judge that less but higher-spending visitors will unafraid Santorini’s semipermanent appeal. For travellers, nan changes whitethorn lead to a different experience, pinch little crowding but higher prices. The coming seasons will show if nan strategy tin stabilise nan island’s vulnerable economy.

What This Means for Greek Tourism

The mixed results of 2025 constituent to a caller shape successful Greek tourism. Travellers are diversifying, choosing islands specified arsenic Corfu and Zakynthos complete accepted hotspots. Revenue shifts propose a redistribution of request that could easiness unit connected overburdened destinations. At nan aforesaid time, taxes and policies aimed astatine sustainability are reshaping visitant behaviour. For Santorini, nan roadworthy up depends connected really good it tin adapt. The land must find ways to protect its beauty while securing unchangeable revenues. For Greece arsenic a whole, nan situation is to support maturation without sacrificing its taste and earthy treasures.

A Crossroads for Santorini and Greece

Santorini’s 22 percent tourism clang successful 2025 is simply a informing for Greece. Reliance connected wide tourism has exposed its weaknesses, while different islands show resilience done diversity. The caller cruise taxation whitethorn reshape visitant flows, but its afloat effect will return clip to measure. For now, Santorini must equilibrium contiguous economical symptom pinch semipermanent sustainability. Greece remains beardown arsenic a destination, but its early depends connected spreading tourism much evenly crossed regions. Travellers will proceed to come, but their choices whitethorn specify nan caller representation of Greek tourism.