A €20 peak summer levy on cruise ship passengers visiting crowded Greek islands is being proposed in an attempt to tackle overtourism.
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reportedly highlighted Santorini and Mykonos as suffering from excessive tourism but pointed out that it was only a problem in a few destinations.
He had previously suggest a cap on the number of cruise ship calls to the two islands from next year.
Announcing the tourism tax plan while outlining key economic policies for 2025, Mitsotakis was reported by The Telegraph as saying: “Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem. Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we have to deal with.
“Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.”
The Greek government also plans to regulate the number of cruise ships that arrive at the same time at certain destinations, while rules to protect the environment and tackle water shortages are needed.
An increased tax on short-term rentals combined with a ban on new licenses for such rentals in central Athens to increase the housing stock for permanent residents is also being considered.
The measures follow Venice imposing a €5 tourist tax on day visitors on certain days after large cruise ships were banned from its central canal.
Amsterdam is also acting to relocate its cruise terminal away from the city centre by 2035 and almost halve the number of calls to a maximum of 100 from 2026.
Protests against mass tourism have also taken place in Barcelona, Palma and the Canary Islands this year.
Greece derived €20 billion in tourism revenues last year based on almost 31 million tourist arrivals.