Santorini and Mykonos,代表 tourist destinations in Greece, will impose a tourism tax of 20 euros (about 32,000 won) per person on cruise ship tourists starting this July. This is due to environmental damage and infrastructure burdens caused by the surge in tourists and will be applicable during the summer peak season (June 1 to September 30).
Yonhap News reported that the Greek daily Kathimerini noted on the 23rd (local time) that the tourism tax will be implemented starting next month for cruise passengers visiting Santorini and Mykonos, which is expected to have a significant impact on the cruise industry and tourists.
This policy will only apply during the summer peak season, with the price dropping to 1 euro during the off-peak season. Even during peak season, other islands, excluding Santorini and Mykonos, will only require a payment of 5 euros.
As of 2023, the number of cruise tourists visiting Santorini is approximately 1.3 million. Due to serious social and environmental issues such as overcrowding, environmental destruction, and water shortages, the Greek government plans to encourage the distribution of tourists and sustainable tourism through the tourism tax. Some of the tourism tax revenue will be used for local infrastructure development.
Greece recorded 32.7 million tourists and approximately 31.9 trillion won in tourism revenue in 2023. This accounts for about 13% of the gross domestic product (GDP), making tourism a core industry of the Greek economy.
Meanwhile, the introduction of tourism taxes to address overtourism issues is spreading around the world. Venice, Italy, has been charging a 5 euro entrance fee for day tourists since last year, while Barcelona, Spain, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, are also collecting tourism taxes upon lodging. Bali, Indonesia, has been imposing a tourism tax of 150,000 rupiah (about 13,000 won) on foreign tourists since February of last year, and Japan is currently considering raising its international tourist passenger tax from 1,000 yen to 3,000-5,000 yen (about 29,000-48,000 won).