New tourist taxes in Greece target high-traffic islands
Greece introduces new taxes for tourists. The dates and rates of the new fees, as well as the places where they will apply, are already known. The good news is that the taxes will not affect all visitors.
It will, of course, be most expensive in the places most frequented by tourists. Each cruise ship passenger disembarking on the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini will have to pay a tax of 20 euros (about CAD 29) in the peak tourist season - announced Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on Monday, September 16, at 1:00 PM ET. In other ports, the fee will be five euros (about CAD 7).
They expect millions in revenue
The fees will be in effect from June 1 to September 30. According to authorities' estimates, the tax revenue is expected to reach 50 million euros annually. The sum will be divided into three parts: the first will go to local authorities, the second to the Ministry of Islands and Shipping, and the third to the Ministry of Tourism.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the introduction of the fee. He stated that it would be imposed due to the burden on the islands from incoming cruise ships. He also assessed that only a few places in Greece are dealing with the problem of excessive tourism.
Athens is also defending against excessive tourism
Beginning January 1, 2025, new Airbnb licenses will also be frozen in three central districts of Athens.
"Tourism in Athens has grown significantly in recent years. Last year, the number of foreign tourists exceeded 7 million, and this year, that record is expected to be broken," - reported the mayor's press office last week.
Data from Athens airport shows that in the first eight months of 2024, the airport handled 14.9 million passengers from abroad, almost 17 percent more than the year before.
In 2023, Greece was visited by about 33 million tourists, which is about 5 million more than the previous year.
