Furious locals in Greece have raged over the perceived "overtourism" of Brits and UK tourists. Shutters over shop fronts in Athens have also been covered with graffiti that says: "No more tourism," as panic and tension sweeps Spain too - from Lanzarote and Tenerife to Majorca. Katerina Kikilia, Professor of Tourism Management at the University of West Attica, told Euronews : "We need rules.
Athenians face daily social and environmental impacts. The housing crisis is huge." Athens welcomed more than 7 million tourists in 2023.
And experts predict a 20 per cent increase this year, making the once-empty August streets a distant memory. “Once a beautiful neighbourhood, it’s now a hub for short-term rentals, no families and no schoolchildren,” Katerina has said. READ MORE Drivers who have dashcam at front of car face £1,000 fine and six points “Each visitor brings €0.
40 to the city, and we haven’t seen this money yet,” Mayor Harris Doukas told Euronews. “We need sustainable tourism that doesn’t worsen city inequalities.” Doukas announced a tourism capacity study to set the city’s limits and to gather data on short-term rentals and hotels.
“In urban areas the socio-cultural impact is big, tourists are displacing long-term residents and changing the character of the neighbourhoods. The housing issue has become explosive,” the Ombudsman said in a report on sustainable tourism. Rental prices have skyrocketed, especially near metro stops that are popular with.
