Tourists jetting off to two of the most popular Greek islands this summer risk being slapped with a new unexpected expense. Visiting Mykonos and Santorini just got a little bit more expensive after a new set of ‘sustainable tourism fees’ came into effect this week.
In a bid to curb overtourism during peak summer months, the new fee on cruise passengers came into force on July 21. Between June 1 and September 30, cruise goers disembarking a ship at Mykonos and Santorini will have to pay €20 each, equivalent to £17.35. This fee decreases to €12 (£10.41) in October and during the shoulder season from April 1 to May 31.
The charge is further reduced to €4 from November 1 to March 31. A total of 768 cruise ships and approximately 1.29 million tourists visited Mykonos last year, according to the Hellenic Ports Association.
The tax revenue is intended to aid in tourism management, fund infrastructure projects such as a second port in Santorini, and address environmental issues like wildfires and floods.
For other ports across Greece’s six island groups, the levy will be €5 (£4.34) in summer, €3 (£2.60) during shoulder season and €1 (87p) in the winter months. The new fee will be charged per passenger and will apply for each port they disembark at.
Cruise companies or agents are responsible for declaring accrued fees via a dedicated digital platform, which they will then have to pay quarterl
If the cruise company does not pay the money, the port authorities can prohibit further calls of the cruise ship to the Greek islands and the disembarkation of tourists.
However, the new tax has sparked fury from Mykonos port authorities who do not welcome the change.
Athanasios Kousathanas-Megas, the president of the Mykonos Port Fund, has condemned the tax as detrimental to the local economy. In his words to the Greek Reporter, he expressed concern: “I believe that the price difference will create problems in choosing a cruise ship from 2026.”