Michelin announced a second wave of top picks for U.S. hotels Thursday. It also revealed its first picks for a small group of luxury and boutique hotels in Canada and Mexico.
11.09.2024 - 20:39 / cntraveler.com
When booking a cruise to Greece, most travelers picture themselves walking along serene alleyways between white-washed buildings, having freshly caught meals at seaside tavernas, or sunbathing on a tranquil beach.
But in recent years, the reality on popular islands like Santorini and Mykonos couldn't be further from that vision. Peak-summer visits have practically choked these islands with overwhelming crowds of tourists, many of whom are cruise-ship passengers just visiting for the day.
This hasn't gone unnoticed by Greek officials who are now adding new regulations in an effort to curb overtourism on the most popular islands. Starting in 2025, both Santorini and Mykonos will begin charging cruise passengers a 20-euro (approximately $22) per-person arrival fee during the summer months, Reuters reports. Officials say a percentage of the fees will be used to improve island infrastructure, which is under strain from the crowds.
In 2023, a total of 800 cruise ships called upon Santorini alone, disembarking nearly 1.3 million passengers onto the island, according to numbers from the Greek Tourism Confederation. Mykonos, similarly, saw 749 cruise ships and nearly 1.2 million passengers in 2023, a year-on-year jump of 23 percent.
Although overcrowding has been particularly acute on Santorini and Mykonos—destinations beloved by travelers for their stunning architecture and trendy beach clubs—the issue was prevalent across tourist hot spots in Europe this summer, with protests roiling cities like Barcelona. As a result, several destinations have introduced new or elevated tourist fees this year, including Lisbon, Amsterdam, and several cities in Italy that have passed visitor taxes and regulations, and countries like Spain that are considering new tourist levies, too.
In August, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an industry body that oversees regulations for most of the world’s cruise lines, met with Greek officials on mitigating tourism numbers. “Recently, the growth of tourism in Greece has garnered significant attention, particularly concerning the islands of Santorini and Mykonos,” Maria Deligianni, CLIA’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement after the meeting.
Deligianni added that the organization’s cruise lines will abide by other measures the islands are introducing next year to stem the number of cruise arrivals. Santorini plans to cap cruise ship passengers at 8,000 visitors per day in 2025, and Mykonos will also roll out a new berth allocation system to help stagger cruise ship arrivals in hopes of minimizing traffic.
Currently, 57% of Greece’s cruise tourism is centered around Santorini, Mykonos, and Piraeus, the port city just outside of Athens,
Michelin announced a second wave of top picks for U.S. hotels Thursday. It also revealed its first picks for a small group of luxury and boutique hotels in Canada and Mexico.
At age 21, my frigid home state of New Jersey was pretty much all I knew. That is, until I downloaded Tinder.
When deciding to vacation on the Amalfi Coast, many travelers hope to experience the area like a local.
If you think that Labor Day marks the end of summer vacations and seaside revelry, think again. On the Greek island of Paros, September is the best time to visit. Thanks to its rising popularity, Paros in July and August has recently become enormously busy. Roughly the size of the city of Stockholm at 75 square miles, Paros can feel insufferably crowded in the peak of summer. But in September—and for a few weeks beyond—a lot of that pressure is released, making the island feel more expansive and easier to enjoy.
Costa Cruises has unveiled a new “Always Summer” offer for cruises booked between now and November 4.
London Heathrow Airport retains its position as the most internationally connected airport in the world in 2024, according to the latest figures from OAG.
Icelandic airline Play is making family travel easier by offering $2 fares for kids when an adult books a trip to Europe.
Greece plans to tax cruise passengers that step foot on the islands Santorini and Mykonos and ban new short-term rentals in three of Athens’ central districts, the prime minister announced on Saturday.
The newest iPhones will come with an easy way to ask generative AI about real-life visuals. For travelers, that means easier ways of navigating new cities.
Greece just announced a new plan to keep a handle on tourism.
New Zealand is nearly tripling its tourist tax to help protect its natural environment and boost public services.
Skift Global Forum will return to New York this month, and — as always — it will feature travel industry leaders in exclusive interview sessions. The theme of this year’s event is “Travel’s Great Renewal” as the the industry takes the next step coming of the pandemic.