Visitors are being more restrained in their spending, which is impacting local businesses.(Image: Getty)For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Santorini is experiencing a decline in tourists. Unlike in previous years, visitors to one of Greece’s most popular islands are not facing dense crowds; instead, Fira’s main street is mostly deserted.
Earlier this year, earthquake activity on Santorini deterred many international visitors from choosing it as their holiday destination. While arrivals have been increasing in recent weeks, they’re still far short of the highs seen in previous years.
According to Yannis Paraschis, president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), “available airline seats are down 26% from the beginning of the year to date. But the indications we have in terms of supply of seats are down in the range of 7%-8% for the summer, so we expect a result with losses of 10%-15%.”
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Antonis Pagoni, the president of the Santorini hoteliers, told Euronews he anticipates a continued decline in tourist traffic and warned that the effects will ripple through the entire Greek economy.
“The president of SETE talked about airport arrivals,” he added, “but I will unfortunately say that overall arrivals will be down about 20%-25%. Right now, we are moving at -25% to -30%. It’s a massive reduction for a destination like Santorini that attracts more than 3 million visitors. You know, it’s 10% of Greek tourism. We are not sure if Greece can afford to lose that revenue.”
Hotels are currently slashing room rates to lure in last-minute vacationers.
The streets of Santorini are eerily quiet when they are usually crowded with visitors.(Image: Getty)
Currently, hotels are offering rooms at discounted rates in an attempt to attract last-minute holidaymakers.(Image: Getty)The global cost-of-living crisis is also taking a toll on Santorini, with visitors tightening their purse strings this year, affecting both hotel reservations and local businesses that depend on tourist spending, but are noticing a significant drop in expenditure on food and souvenirs.
Despite this, three cruise ships dock at Santorini daily, bringing thousands of sightseers to the island. The cruise tax, set to be implemented from July, isn’t anticipated to impact this year’s cruise ship arrivals.
On another note, Santorini’s mayor, Nikos Zorzos, has stressed the need for a “saturation law” on the island, asserting that it “does not need any more accommodation.”
“Santorini does not need any more beds. I say this with great certainty, with as much certainty as I know that my name is Nikos,” he declared.
He has appealed for state aid to enhance public infrastructure, pointing out that Santorini has significantly contributed to the national treasury without receiving sufficient returns.