Greece Needs Tourism Makeover, Says Ombudsman

Greece has been notified that it needs to reduce excessive construction work and protect water resources and coastal regions if it wants to maintain a healthy tourism industry across its islands, the country’s ombudsman said in a report on Thursday.

Around 33 million people visited Greece last year, five million more than the year prior, all attracted by its ancient archaeological sites, Neptune blue waters, and consistently sunny weather.

However, a report released on Thursday by the county’s ombudsman warned about the growing environmental risks and called for urgent reform, as reported by Reuters.

“Our country’s economy relies heavily on tourism which makes the need to manage it in a sustainable way even more urgent,” the report said. Greece must not “exhaust its potential, wasting it and making our tourist destinations unattractive over time.”

Effects of tourism in Greece

Tourism in Greece accounts for more than a quarter of economic output and almost two million Greeks’ annual income comes from the sector, the report said, the first on the sector for the Greek ombudsman since the authority was founded over 25 years ago.

Revenues are reportedly expected to increase to 21 billion in 2024 from 20.5 billion last year – a major rise for an economy emerging from a decade-long debt crisis.

Instagram go-to Santorini, a small island with 15,550 residents, receives more than 5.5 million visitors annually, twice the amount it hosted in 2012, the report confirmed. The island contributes one billion euros in annual receipts, according to Reuters.

“In Santorini, even tourists complain about the great number of tourists,” the report said.

The document also called for firmer regulation to reduce coastal construction and reduce the cutting of forests which has been creating the right conditions for flooding. Further, it called for greater care to be taken over water resources in the face of “huge” requirements for drinking water, swimming pools, and water parks.

“Tourism is a field where the lack of vision and strategy emerges with particular intensity. The exercise of a clear tourism governance is an immense need,” the report said.
Last year, Greece rose five places in the 2024 World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), putting the country in 21st out of 119 countries in total.

Greece’s tourism achievements

Last year’s was the second-ever edition of the Travel and Tourism Index (TTDI), evolving from the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), a key indicator produced by the WEF since 2007. In this latest index, the US has the highest overall score of 5.24.

With an overall score of 4.52, Greece saw a significant improvement in its 2019 ranking. The country received a high score for health and hygiene at 6.34, a decent score of 5.95 for tourist services and infrastructure, 5.85 for ICT readiness, and 5.52 for air transport infrastructure.