In response to what has been dubbed the “worst ever” summer of overtourism at some of Greece’s prime holiday hotspots, the country is forging ahead with plans to slap a new €20 fee (£16) on tourists. Beginning next summer, British travellers will face this additional charge when visiting Greece’s well-trodden locales including the scenic but swamped island of Santorini.

Santorini may only boast a small local population of 20,000, yet this idyllic Mediterranean haven routinely welcomes over three million visitors annually, resulting in unparalleled pressure on public amenities and displacing local inhabitants. Across Greece’s sun-drenched terrain, similar troubles are afoot; certain areas report up to 40 per cent of residences being converted into profit-making Airbnb rentals now set for steeper taxation.

Particularly problematic for Greece is the influx from cruise liner passengers who disembark in their thousands, besieging popular destinations through the peak season. Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, addressing members of the press, asserted: “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 need to deal with.”

He pointed out that busy hotspots like Mykonos will also be hit with new charges during peak seasons, to address the overwhelming influx of cruise ship visitors. “Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.”

En masse, tourists have been flocking to the sun-drenched corners of Europe post-pandemic causing ripples of discontent and even protests in parts of Spain and Greece due to overcrowding on their beaches. Despite leaning heavily on the tourism industry, this hasn’t gone unnoticed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis who, just this week, unveiled a strategy tackling the tourist influx alongside his economic vision, reports the Mirror.

The plan includes hiking taxes on short-stay Airbnb rentals, potentially pushing up costs for holidaymakers. Furthermore, Mitsotakis is introducing a tax incentive lasting three years to encourage landlords to convert their properties into long-term rentals in an attempt to alleviate the housing shortage worsened by the tourism surge.

Tensions in Greece have escalated as residents lament the scarcity of affordable housing and the Airbnb invasion. This agitation is manifesting in graffiti scrawlings across various locales urging “Tourists Go Home!”

In Athens, further graffiti carries stark messages like ‘No Tourists No Hipsters’, and ‘Burn Airbnb’. Speaking to the Independent, 58-year-old Athens local Penny Platanitou disclosed: “It’s a huge issue because it’s changing the urban landscape. Where there are traditional buildings, now there’s a modern one next to them, designed to be an Airbnb.”