Greece takes a swipe at Spain's overcrowding problem

Mallorca facing tough competition

One of this summer's protests in Mallorca. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Humphrey CarterPalma17/10/2024 12:36

With the World Travel Market in London looming, Greece has not wasted any time in taking a swipe at its main competitors, in particular Spanish destinations which this year have had to cope with mass tourism and overcrowding problems and a wave of anti-tourism protests, such as Mallorca and the Balearics in general.

This week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pushed back against the notion that Greece faces an overtourism problem, while emphasising that the government will step in with regulations when necessary. “Greece does not have an overtourism problem; rather, it faces the challenge of concentrated tourist activity in specific destinations for a few months of the year,” Mitsotakis said on the opening day of the “Reimagine Tourism in Greece” conference.

He highlighted that the focus should be on the spending habits of tourists rather than simply increasing visitor numbers. “The question is not whether we want more tourists, but whether we want tourists who will spend more in our country,” Mitsotakis said. “Our priority is on boosting revenue. I am more interested in breaking revenue records, which is, of course, tied to the number of arrivals, but more importantly, I focus on tourism’s overall impact on the country’s development.” Mitsotakis pointed to government action when tourism becomes unsustainable, citing the introduction of limits on cruise ship arrivals at popular islands like Mykonos and Santorini.

“We understand that the pressures on these islands can ultimately harm our tourism product. We do not want it to reach the point where these islands suffer such damage that visitors have an unpleasant experience,” he said, “That’s why we were compelled to step in.”

When asked about the anti-tourism protests seen in Spain, Mitsotakis said he does not foresee such backlash happening in Greece. “I don’t think we will see such incidents here,” he said, noting that cities like Barcelona, which has seen protests, host around 30 million visitors annually, whereas Athens, despite being larger, receives fewer than 10 million. It will be interesting to see how the Spanish and Balearic tourism authorities counteract that in London.

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Morgan Williams | 5 months ago

Zoltan TeglasWell, you know, at around 18% of tourism here, British tourism is the overwhelming majority, and if Greece is cheaper (and don't fine Brits that imaginary 30K for nothing), then they'll all go there for their cheap all-inclusive in a British resort. And then Mallorca would be totally screwed. So, they'd better come up with a good excuse in London, or else it's all over for Mallorca.

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Zoltan Teglas | 5 months ago

'It will be interesting to see how the Spanish and Balearic tourism authorities counteract that in London.' Counteract to what? He didn't say anything that what even slightly controversial. The mdb is getting more like the daily mail by the day.