The popular Aegean island, having first regulated cruise tourism, is now implementing a plan to increase winter arrivals by promoting activities beyond the famous sunset over the Caldera.
Santorini is considered the most popular Greek island worldwide. Its distinctive volcanic caldera, whitewashed houses and sunsets in Oia consistently place it among the top choices for international travellers. However, over the past two years local hoteliers have been complaining that their hotels are not filling up with tourists.
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"After the Covid pandemic we had intense tourist activity on our island, but because of some unrelated events, one was the seismic activity on the neighbouring islands and later on the war in the Gulf, we experienced a drop in tourism," hotel owner Thomas Giannis tells Euronews. "For me personally it was around 30 to 40%."
The biggest decline was recorded in arrivals of tourists from the United States and, of course, from Israel. The former in particular, who tend to spend a lot of money in the destinations they visit and are therefore especially sought after by people working in tourism, book their holiday packages up until early spring, in other words during the periods that coincided with the seismic activity events of 2025 and the start of the war with Iran this year.
Greece may have been far from the centre of operations, but this is not immediately obvious to the average American planning a holiday.
Despite the downturn, the situation improved after the summer, according to Thira Mayor Nikos Zorzos. "Tourism in Santorini started this year with a sense of numbness, but the situation then stabilised. September and October are strong tourist months and attract visitors who have a special interest in the island," the mayor tells Euronews.
Gastronomy and culture
What do we mean by "special interests"? Thomas Giannis explains: "Santorini is not just a summer destination to watch a sunset. It is also a gastronomic and cultural destination. And it can now offer tourism all year round."
With this in mind, it was recently announced that a new digital campaign of 32 short videos will be launched, aiming to broaden the island’s international tourism image by showcasing experiences that are often overshadowed by its famous sunsets and luxury accommodation. These include its distinctive wine tradition, closely linked to the volcanic soil and climate of the island, its gastronomy, and visits of cultural and religious interest.
In fact, this is now what most visitors are looking for, both from the US and from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and Romania, the European countries from which most visitors come. They are joined by tourists from Australia and Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan, from which group trips are often organised.
In Santorini, July in particular had a strong Italian "flavour". Traffic to and from Italy reached 93,315 passengers, placing the country first among foreign markets. It was followed by the UK with 59,362 passengers and France with 35,158, while Germany recorded 17,746 passengers. Traffic with Spain was also significant at 14,443 passengers, followed by Austria with 11,211 and Romania with 10,594.
Furthermore, Thomas Giannis argues that Santorini is no longer the very expensive destination people imagine if they have never visited. "Santorini is for every budget. It can cater for everything. It has rooms from very cheap to extremely expensive," he says, disagreeing with the widespread perception that it is an off-limits destination for those on lower incomes, and stressing that especially outside the peak season there are many excellent deals.
As he also revealed, there has been a drop in tourist arrivals over the past two years, even if this is due to unrelated factors. However, this comparatively lower occupancy than in previous periods is also attributed to another factor, the constant construction of new hotel units.
"The increase in the number of beds creates an issue with accommodation occupancy," the mayor comments, adding that he has used Euronews to call on the government to take measures to stop unregulated building on the island.
Cruise tourism: 'A blessing and a curse'
On visitor numbers, Nikos Zorzos adds: "The figures are roughly the same. Santorini receives 3.5 million visitors a year including those who arrive by cruise ship."
However, locals have raised a counter-argument with the Ministry of Tourism. Because of the airport and direct flights to it from European destinations, a significant number of those recorded as landing and taking off for Santorini in fact do not stay on the island but on neighbouring ones, simply using it as a gateway into and out of the country, which in turn distorts the real figures.
Even so, there is no doubt that Santorini has plenty of tourists every year and, for cruise ships in particular, a stop there is considered a must. However, for islands like Santorini, cruise tourism is seen by many as both a blessing and a curse.
On the one hand it pushes up visitor numbers, but on the other it does not bring money to the local population and is the main reason behind the severe overcrowding that is often seen in the narrow alleyways and at times becomes unbearable.
What has the municipal authority done about this? "Look, we regulated cruise tourism," Nikos Zorzos tells Euronews. "About 10 years ago, with a study we carried out with the University of the Aegean, we set the maximum number of visitors who can visit Santorini every day. As a result there are no longer crowds in different parts of the island and movement is easier. So cruise tourism is no longer the problem it was in the past."
Now, up to 8,000 tourists a day can disembark from cruise ships. Even so, it is estimated that around half of all tourists in Santorini each year come from the cruise sector. Local residents complain that this type of visitor does not spend money on the island, since they do not stay overnight and, for the most part, do not even visit local shops. In recent years a further trend has emerged, with some not even going ashore and instead enjoying the famous caldera sunset from the ship.
"Of course, those who stay in hotels or other accommodation spend more money than visitors on short cruise stopovers," admits the mayor of Thira.
According to a ministerial decision, however, a new increased "cruise levy" has been in place since last year, essentially a per capita tax on each disembarkation. It amounts to 20 euros per person in the summer period (1 June to 30 September), drops to 12 euros in April, May and October, and is reduced to 4 euros in the winter period (1 November to 31 March). However, only one third of this money reaches the municipal coffers, as the remainder is shared between the Ministries of Tourism and Shipping.
