Effective in 2025, cruise passengers visiting Greece’s iconic destinations, including Santorini and Mykonos, will face a new arrival tax aimed at addressing climate change and over-tourism.
Approved by the Greek Parliament, the tax will charge 20 euros (£16.50, $21 USD) per person for visits to Santorini and Mykonos and 5 euros (£4.14, $5.27 USD) for other destinations, such as Rhodes, Corfu, and Crete.
Santorini and Mykonos have seen record numbers of cruise visitors in recent years. Santorini hosted 1.3 million cruise passengers in 2023, with some days bringing up to 17,000 guests to the island, which has just 15,500 residents.
Similarly, Mykonos, with a population of 12,000, saw up to 20,000 cruise passengers disembark in a single day in August 2024.
The influx of visitors has put a significant strain on local infrastructure, leading to traffic congestion, overcrowded pedestrian areas, and limited resources for residents and other tourists.
The funds raised from the tax will support improvements in infrastructure and sustainability efforts.
Combined with new taxes on short-term rentals and hotels, Greece aims to raise approximately 400 million euros to address these issues.
The short-term rental tax during the high season will increase to 8 euros per day, while the hotel tax will rise to 15 euros daily, depending on the property, which could impact guests who book a cruise & stay getaway.
In addition to the taxes, Greek officials have proposed implementing a digital berth allocation system to regulate cruise ship arrivals.
This system would consider ship size, length of stay, and other factors to manage daily visitor numbers more effectively, though the proposal has yet to be approved.
Greece’s new cruise taxes are part of a broader trend among tourist destinations grappling with over-tourism.
- Mexico has proposed a $42 per person immigration fee starting in 2025, prompting pushback from major cruise lines. Cozumel alone welcomed over 3 million cruise visitors in 2023, and the fee could impact cruise fares significantly.
- Haines, Alaska, has introduced a $9 cruise tax, effective for the 2025 summer season. The fee will rise incrementally, reaching $13 by 2029, with funds directed toward mitigating cruise-related impacts on local infrastructure.
These new taxes highlight a growing shift as destinations work to balance tourism growth with sustainability and local well-being.
For travellers, these fees represent an additional cost that will be factored into future cruise budgets.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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