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Guardian: Can Greece manage record tourist arrivals? The example of Santorini

Greece is preparing for another tourist season, with tourists already starting to arrive for the summer. According to the forecasts so far, 32 million tourists are expected to reach Greece this year.

As UK newspaper The Guardian writes, this is an extraordinary situation for the country that is plagued by the financial crisis and has fought to avoid bankruptcy, when it was in the spotlight due to protests and upheavals, just three years ago, avoiding an exit from the euro. Tourism is the heavy industry that has helped keep the country away from disaster.

But is Greece's successl for her own good? The number of tourists has increased by two million more each year over the past three years, while arrivals from China have doubled since 2017. However, with forecasts for record arrivals over the next decade, there is a big question: Can Greece really manage this?

The former Green MEP, Nikos Chrysogelos, says: "We can not handle massive arrivals of tourists," adding that he feared such a prospect. "We can not have small islands with small communities and host 1 million tourists in a few months. There is a risk that it is not properly prepared and all this can boomerang if we focus on numbers and we do not concentrate on creating a more sustainable model of tourism, "he adds.

However, the mayor of Santorini, Nikos Zorzos, is worried. Last year, two million tourists flocked to the Cycladic island, forcing Zorzos to limit the cruise ship capacity to 8,000 people every day.


A growing number of tourists come from the upscale, Asian middle class, with many choosing Santorini to marry or as the background of its famous orange sky at sunset, white houses and the volcanic crater surrounded by the sea.

The increase is such that local officials consider it more like a curse than as a boon. They are afraid that diminishing natural sources and construction on the island have sounded an alarm. Although the island has an area of ​​just 76 square kilometers, more than 5.5 million people visited last year, with power and water levels being stretched to the limit.

"This is a rapid increase and we will constantly hasten to catch up to it," says Zorzos, highlighting the figures. "We have built countless desalination plants and we are in the process of creating the largest in Greece. But within five years, I worry that it will not be enough. "

Greece's ever-growing appeal as a world destination is taking its rematch from Turkey, Egypt and other neighbors that have been affected by security concerns.

Few consider that the sector is not beneficial. At least one in five Greeks work in tourism. As a 25-percent shrinking economy in fiscal consolidation, tourism is among the few success stories in the country that has come to the brink of exiting the eurozone.

Increasing the number of tourists is also a result of hard work. The Greek officials have done much to improve services, after decades dedicated exclusively to sun and beach holidays, the industry has become diverse, with the tourist season extending in both winter and spring.