Greece is in the middle of an anti-cruise rebellion, with locals complaining about over-tourism and trashed streets

• Popular tourist destinations in Greece are struggling with overcrowding.
• Athens is plagued by high rents and short-term rentals, while the islands contend with cruise ships.

An anti-cruise rebellion is afoot in popular tourism destinations in Greece.

Boats full of tourists who arrive on the island, crowd the streets, and leave trash have led to the "worst season" ever, locals say.

It's a story mirrored across Europe this summer, with anti-tourist protests breaking out in famous hot spots.

In Barcelona, locals have sprayed holiday-makers with water pistols and shouted at them to go home, blaming them for the city becoming unlivable due to high rent prices and apartments being turned into Airbnbs.

In Athens and Greek islands, such as Santorini, there's a similar sentiment growing.

Crowded monuments

Vivian Antypa, an archaeologist and tour operator in Athens, told Business Insider that she loves working in tourism and meeting people from all over the world. But her job has become "challenging" recently.

"The government hasn't put any limitations to the number of people that can visit the monuments," she said, except for the 20,000 person cap to the Acropolis, which was implemented last year.

All the other archaeological sites in the city are "extremely crowded," Antypa said.

"This, of course, affects the quality of our work, the experience of the people," she said. "It can be dangerous due to the hot Greek weather."

The number of tourists visiting Greece increased by 120% between 2019 and 2023, Fortune reported, with 33 million tourists heading to the country last year.

Antypa said overtourism in Athens is a problem because the city can't accommodate the large numbers of people in the high season.

As a result, the center is full of traffic and crowds, which makes it hard for locals to live their daily lives.

There are also not enough establishments to accommodate all the people, which has boosted the short-term rental market.

"That has caused a big disruption for the locals," Antypa said. "People cannot find apartments for long-term renting, and the ones that can be rented are usually extremely overpriced and in poor conditions."

According to the Greek news outlet Kathimerini, investors are turning entire apartment blocks in Athens's districts of Pangrati and Koukaki into short-term rental units.

Rental rates in Pangrati have increased by 14.3% compared to last year, the Greek newspaper To Vima reported. House prices are also soaring, according to Bloomberg.

Tourists and locals are equally disappointed in the ramifications of over-tourism, Antypa said, which "sets the standards of the Greek hospitality way back."

On TikTok, there's a heated debate between vacationers and locals at top tourist sites. Visitors complain about crowds and dirty streets and share their disappointment about their trip not meeting their expectations. In response, locals call them out for being "ungrateful" and implore them to consider their part in it all.

Tourist activities make up 25-30% of the Greece's GDP. Harris Doukas, the mayor of Athens, told Euro News that "Each visitor brings €0.40 to the city."

"And we haven't seen this money yet," he said. "We need sustainable tourism that doesn't worsen city inequalities."

A crackdown on cruises

Antypa said cruise ships are a big part of the problem. People aboard follow "a very specific pattern" in Athens, where they arrive very early in the morning and head straight to the landmarks. This causes traffic, queues, and "horrific crowds," she said.

The islands are also impacted. Nikos Drosos, a tour guide who owns the Santorini-based travel company Santo Luxury Escape, told BI, "This is one of the worst seasons that the island has had right now."

"There are a lot of cruise ships and a lot of people, like 15,000 per day," Drosos said.

When they arrive, the main streets are packed with buses, and people leave behind "a lot of garbage," Drosos said.

"Because they eat on the ship, they don't buy any souvenirs or eat in the restaurants," he added. "That's the problem for us here."

Drosis believes there wouldn't be an overcrowding problem if more people stayed on the island for a few days at a time.

"In fact, we want the people to stay more on the island," he said.

Priced out

The answer may not be so simple, though, as islands, including Santorini and Mykonos, have become more expensive due to their idyllic landscapes and Instagrammable views, leading to an influx of designer stores and even a Nobu.

Those who may wish to come may not be able to afford a stay there.

"There is a real problem when locals, both those that live in a place year-round or wish to visit family and friends, are priced out," Richard Krieger, the director at Sky Vacations, told BI. "You only have to look at the prices of hotels and accommodation in the most well known places in Greece to see how expensive things have become."

He added that it's not just the most famous destinations. Small towns like Katakolon in the Peloponnese can become "a nightmare when ships pull in and the crowds pour into the streets," Krieger said.

Antypa said she has heard similar stories in her industry, and that the majority of visitors on the islands are not spending money there.

"The islands have started to lose their authenticity, their individualistic fingerprint," she said.

Krieger said implementing fees that support the tourism infrastructure and promoting the entire country as a destination is part of the solution.

"Our collective effort is needed to ensure that the beauty of the country remains unharmed and that by visiting in a responsible manner, we support local communities and help them thrive," he said.

In June, Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Bloomberg the country was moving to limit the number of cruise ships allowed to stop at the most popular islands.

Drosos said this will be "good in some ways."

"It's going to be better for some people," he said. "The big tour companies with the big buses, I don't think they're going to like it, but it's for their own good, for everyone."

Antypa said a response "is just a response," and she wants to see the government take the next step by committing to sustainable growth and protecting Greece's environment and culture.

"This has been the goal of many European countries for years," she said. "If the government takes action toward the right direction, we can make tourism better for the tourists and the locals."