How is overtourism in Greece's Santorini affecting its wine industry?

A spike in tourism has left a stunning Greek island struggling with its wine industry.

The island of Santorini is expected to see over 3 million visitors this summer.

And the locals are not happy.

They say that overtourism is leading to a spike in prices of agricultural land and threatening the way of life.

But what do we know about it?

Let’s take a closer look:

What happened?

Santorini comprises a group of islands consisting of Thira, Thirassia, Aspronissi, Palea and Nea Kameni in the southernmost part of the Cyclades.

According to Fortune, Santorini, like other hotspots in Europe, is witnessing growing supply problems, chock-a-block streets and economic disparity.

“It’s going to be a very bad year for Santorini,” Mayor Nikos Zorzos was quoted as saying by the outlet.

He said the island cannot afford “one single bed more” for accommodation even if there are infrastructure upgrades.

Zorzos said the authorities have been asking Athens to put curbs on the number of tourists since 2012.

Santorini’s famed Greek wines are also suffering.

This, as developers continue to buy up land to build holiday homes.

“Tourism destroys the vineyards,” wine producer Matthew Argyros told the outlet. “I raise a red flag for the island.”

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The outlet quoted data from the Association of Winemakers of Santorini as showing that grape production in Santorini has halved nearly 50 per cent over the past two decades.

That’s an average drop of 2.7 per cent per year.

By 2041, that number could drop to zero if the trend continues.

Argyros said water shortages are also making it harder to grow the vines.

Most workers have been lost to the tourism industry, he added.

Antonia Noussia, who lives in the village of Pyrgos, said she sees proof of this every day.

Noussia said she could once see grapes growing all the way to the coast. Now “only small patches of vineyards left.”

“You can see people carrying sheets, breakfast supplies, and it doesn’t feel like an inhabited village,” said Noussia told Fortune.

‘Next year’

As per The Times of India, Greece in 2023 saw locals revolt through the ‘towel movement.’

They did this by taking back beaches from sunbeds and beach bars – asserting the right to free and public access to all beaches under the law.

The government responded by tightening curbs beach usage and regular inspections.

Even Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has acknowledged the issue.

Mitsotakis in June said he would restrict cruise ships for the country’s most popular islands. “I think we’ll do it next year,” Mitsotakis told Bloomberg.

Zorzos himself enforced a cap of 8,000 cruise visitors per day to Santorini.

Local authorities have also managed to reduce the number of days each cruise ship can visit from 63 to 48 – which will come down even further next year.

But authorities know this is no easy task.

According to The Times of India, tourism remains central to the Greek economy.

Tourism comprised a fifth of Greece’s GDP in 2023.

A record 32.7 million tourists visited Greece in 2023 – an 18 per cent spike over 2022.

That record is set to continue in 2024 with the early months witnessing a massive increase in visitors numbers over the same period in 2023.

With inputs from agencies