Greece tourist tax: New £17 charge starts this week for visiting 2 famous islands

Tourists heading to two of the most stunning Greek islands are set to be slapped with a €20 (£17) fine from this week as part of a crackdown on overtourism. From Tuesday, July 1, cruise ship passengers disembarking onto either Mykonos or Santorini will be asked to cough up the charge.

The levy will be in place in peak holiday season from July 1 until September 30, before dropping to just €4 (around £3.50) in low season from November 1 to March 31. Greek authorities have sounded the alarm in recent years over the increase in tourist numbers since the COVID pandemic, warning the islands cannot support the number of people wanting to see them.

On Santorini, famous for its beautiful white buildings with stunning blue domed roofs, the local council has started handing out heavy parking fines for visitors. In Mykonos, a favourite haunt of celebrities and footballers, the authorities issued a similar edict for parked motor homes and caravans, issuing fines of more than £200 if the vehicles are parked in public places.

The Greek islands had planned to start charging tourists the £17 day tripper levy on June 1, but delayed bringing it into force after a series of earthquakes locally hit visitor numbers hard.

According to Greek authorities, the revenue from the fees will be split between tourism support and infrastructure projects for islanders.

Mykonos has around 12,000 permanent residents, and just over 15,000 people live on Santorini, but during the summer months, both islands see millions of visitors come to their shores to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful scenery.

Last year Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis approved plans for the tax to be introduced on the islands, while saying most places in Greece can cope with the tourist numbers.

He said: "Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem... Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with.

"Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos, and this is why we are proceeding with interventions.