Greek Crisis

Greek society destroyed by EU and IMF

09/08/2024

Priced Out: For Many Greeks, Island Holidays are a Thing of the Past

By Eleni Stamatoukou and Seth Marvin Andersen
July 12, 2024

Tourists are flocking in larger numbers than ever to the famously beautiful Greek islands – but these dream destinations are now too costly for many ordinary Greeks.

Nikos – not his real name – 44, grew up in Naxos, the largest of Cycladic Islands in the Aegean Sea. As a child, he could travel everywhere in Greece. “Back then, it was very cheap to travel to Paros, Santorini, and so on. Nowadays, things are difficult,” he told BIRN.

“We can’t go on holiday to a Greek island. The cost of the tickets is very expensive when you have a family, and we can’t afford it,” said Nikos, who has a family with three children and owns a small shop in the centre of Athens.

He added that he cannot even afford to go to his former home island of Naxos this summer.

The Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, INSETE, a Greek non-profit, reported that in January and February 2024 revenues from tourism rose by 24.5 per cent compared to the same period of 2023, totaling 570 million euros.

But relatively few of these holidaymakers are Greeks, it seems.

Experts told BIRN that, due to high inflation and low salaries, Greeks themselves are either reducing their vacation time, looking for cheaper solutions, or applying to the state’s social tourism programme, which subsidizes holiday accommodation and ferry rides in selected areas in Greece.