Santorini is swamped with thousands of tourists

There’s been a recurring pattern in headlines coming out of Europe in recent months (besides high-stakes election results and its precarious position on the financial world stage): overtourism.

Greece is the word

Santorini, a stunning and ultimately-Instagrammable Greek island, is the latest European summer hotspot to become completely overrun by holidaymakers, with 11,000 cruise ship passengers descending on the Aegean isle in a single day. Santorini's 15,500 residents, who were urged to stay inside by authorities, were understandably pretty vexed. 

The island sits alongside other footfallen destinations like Barcelona, where locals have protested against the impact of overtourism, as the continent adapts to a post-pandemic travel boom. In April, for example, Venice introduced a ~$5 entry fee to the city during peak season, while other locations have been hiking tourist tax rates or capping visits.

Dealing with overtourism is a delicate game, though: Santorini reportedly derives 90% of its GDP from foreign visitors each year, as the number of people visiting Greece and its vast network of picturesque islands continues to grow. According to data from the Bank of Greece, the nation welcomed just over 14 million inbound travellers in 2005 — that figure sat at a record 36.1 million last year, and is apparently on track to rise even higher in 2024. 

The scenes out of Santorini, and those unfolding across the continent more broadly, don't do much to combat a charge made in a recent viral TikTok video that much of Europe has morphed into "Disneyland for Americans".