Illegal hotels, pools and hot tubs: Santorini’s ‘building crimes’ are a disaster waiting to happen

03.03.2025 - 17:53 / euronews.com / Joanna Bailey

Inspections on the popular island of Santorini have discovered dozens of illegal buildings that could be at risk in the event of future earthquakes.

The Greek Ministry of the Environment and Energy released details of its findings this week, following inspections conducted in October and November last year.

Authorities discovered that many of the hotels and tourist accommodations on the island had falsely registered as pre-1955 structures to bypass stringent regulations. 

The crescent-shaped ‘caldera,’ the edge of an ancient volcano, has been particularly closely regulated to preserve its iconic white cliffside buildings. Even here, where rules are tightest, illegal construction has been found.

Among the buildings identified in the report was a tourist accommodation located in the caldera’s protected zone that exceeded its approved size. For this, authorities issued a fine of €191,000.

Other buildings were found to have installed hot tubs and swimming pools that violated protection laws. Altogether, fines totalling more than €900,000 were issued in relation to illegal developments in areas near the caldera.

New rules mean illegal structures can be removed if they violate Santorini's protection laws, with owners given 30 days from the date of the decision to take them down.

To further bolster protection of the islands, the ministry is investing €130 million in satellite imagery and AI to better identify constructions of concern. It hopes to have the system operational by summer 2026.

Greek seismologist Akis Tselentis took to social media to highlight the ‘urban building crimes’ on Santorini with the topography of the island making it easy for developers to ‘hide’ their building activity. 

“Illegal structures are being built under the nose of the Authorities that maintain the island,” Tselentis says. “When man's greed for profit blinds him and he does not see that he lives or invests in an environment within which there are two active volcanoes and a seismic fault beyond.”

Santorini first sought to limit development on the island following a devastating earthquake in 1956. With much of the island’s infrastructure destroyed, the rebuilding effort was guided by strict regulations that aimed to preserve its unique architectural heritage. 

But when tourism boomed in the 1980s, development picked up the pace in an attempt to accommodate the influx of visitors. Local authorities tightened up building regulations to control the scale and style of new constructions and to limit where they were built.

Fast forward a few more decades, and Santorini is bursting at the seams. In 2023, 3.4 million tourists arrived on the island, which is home to only 25,000 people. On some days, as many as 17,000 cruise ship passengers would