Mass tourism has already caused tourists in Venice to have to pay an entrance fee. In Rome, there is currently a discussion about charging an entrance fee for the Trevi Fountain.

Now Greece is following suit with a similar measure to curb the rampant cruise tourism on popular islands such as Santorini and Mykonos. A entrance fee for all cruise passengers visiting a Greek island is planned for 2025.

Many find the gigantic ships with their masses of passengers a thorn in their side: suddenly, thousands of visitors are dropped off in the small alleys of Greek villages, where they are only there for a few hours, but they further burden the already limited infrastructure of the islands to the detriment of the residents.

The Greek government now wants to counter this with an entrance fee. This fee is to be paid by all cruise passengers before they enter Greek islands.

The fee ranges between one and 20 euros if you want to visit Greek islands. The entrance fee varies depending on the time of travel and the popularity of the island. Islands like Santorini and Mykonos suffer particularly from overtourism, with an entrance fee of 20 euros per person for a day visit during the peak season, which lasts from June 1 to September 30.

According to initial estimates, the entry fees are expected to generate around 50 million euros. One third of the revenue from the entry fees is to be directly allocated to the budgets of the affected municipalities. Another third will go to the Ministry of Shipping, which aims to promote the modernization of the island ports. The remaining third will be received by the Ministry of Tourism, which will use it to improve the local infrastructure.

The aim of the measures against mass tourism is to reduce waiting times for visitors and to allow for better management of tourist flows on the islands. All holidaymakers would benefit from this.