Greece imposes unusual lockdown, all after influx of tourists
Local authorities in Greece have come up with an unusual idea. They have asked residents to stay at home and leave the island to tourists. The lockdown is caused by overtourism.
The situation concerns the island of Santorini. It is a beautiful and fabulous place located in the Aegean Sea. Together with several smaller islands, it forms a small archipelago, which is part of the Greek Cyclades archipelago. Tourists come there very often, especially during the holiday season. This has serious consequences. Now the authorities have ordered an unusual lockdown.
Lockdown in Greece
Santorini turned out to be so besieged by visitors that it is hard to find respite and peace on the island. There are definitely too many people. According to foreign media, in just one day – Tuesday – 11 thousand visitors arrived in an area inhabited by about 15 thousand people. Local authorities have come up with a plan to make the residents pay the price. They are to stay at home and not leave.
The decision was made by Panagiotis Kavallaris, a representative of the authorities in Santorini. He published a post on social media in which he appealed to residents to limit their movements. Of course, this does not mean that the lockdown will take the same form as during the coronavirus pandemic, but for many, it can be very unfair and tiring.
That’s not all. During the meeting with high-ranking government officials, the mayor of Santorini, the governor and deputies from the Cycladic Islands, the topic of limiting cruises to the island was raised. All this in order to make it as rare as possible for new tourists to arrive. “A new port must be built, the energy infrastructure and urban planning must be improved,” commented Nikos Zorzos, the mayor of Santorini. He announced changes for the next year and also spoke in favor of regulating the activities of hotels and Airbnb.
A wave of criticism in Greece
After the authorities’ unusual decisions became public, Greece was not without outrage. Negative comments flooded social media, among others. Not only locals are disappointed with the difficult situation, but also visitors. “Even tourists complain about the large number of tourists” – it was emphasized in the announcements regarding Santorini.
Greeks themselves, regardless of their political views, are concerned about the phenomenon of overtourism and are worried about their future.
