Greek islands warned to make urgent changes to stop tourists leaving in droves

A authorities watchdog has said successful a study that Greece needs to bring rampant operation nether power and support h2o resources if the federation wants to support its tourism manufacture from collapsing

The Greek authorities has been warned the state is astatine hazard of losing its presumption arsenic a fashionable tourer hotspot unless the state changes the mode it operates.

A authorities watchdog has said successful a study that Greece needs to bring rampant operation nether power and support h2o resources and coastal areas if the federation wants to support its tourism manufacture from collapsing. The country’s celebrated archaeological sites, world people beaches and beauteous weather attracted a monolithic 33 cardinal radical successful 2023, an summation of 5 cardinal connected the erstwhile year.

However unless urgent enactment is taken the tourism assemblage could “exhaust its potential” leaving the region “unattractive” to visitors. The ever-increasing visitant numbers airs a terrible biology risk, according to the ombudsman study released successful June with the assemblage calling for urgent reform. “Our country’s system relies heavy connected tourism which makes the request to negociate it successful a sustainable mode adjacent much urgent,” the study said, adding Greece indispensable not “exhaust its potential, wasting it and making our tourer destinations unattractive implicit time”.

Over a 4th of Greece’s economical output comes from tourism providing an income for astir 2 cardinal radical successful the country, the Independent reports. With visitant numbers trending ever-upwards the revenues from the assemblage are expected to emergence to £21 cardinal successful 2024 from £20.5 cardinal past year.

But arsenic revenues soar, truthful bash the crowds and the unit visitors spot connected section resources. Santorini - a tiny land with astir 20,000 residents - sees much than 5.5 cardinal visitors annually, doubly the fig it hosted successful 2012, the study said. But the deficiency of joined-up reasoning connected the instauration of tourer infrastructure was damaging the Greek environment, the ombudsman warned. “Tourism is simply a tract wherever the deficiency of imaginativeness and strategy emerges with peculiar intensity. The workout of a wide tourism governance is an immense need,” the study said.

The regulator called for stronger rules to trim coastal operation and dilatory the felling of forests which was creating conditions perfect for flooding. Greater attraction was besides needed to safeguard h2o resources successful the look of “huge” demands for drinking water, swimming pools and h2o parks.