US$22.50 cruise ship passenger levy...

Cruising has "burdened" Santorini and Mykonos, according to Prime Minister

A €20 (US$22.50) 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 highlighted Santorini and Mykonos as suffering from overtourism and added that it was only a problem in a few destinations.

Mitsotakis has also previously suggested a cap on the number of cruise ship calls to the two islands from 2025.

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 plans to regulate the number of cruise ships that arrive at the same time at certain destinations. In addition, guidelines to protect the environment and tackle water shortages are expected to be implemented.

The measures follow Venice imposing a US$5.60 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.

Greece derived US$22.5 billion in tourism revenue in 2024 with almost 31 million tourist arrivals.

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