Protests over excessive tourism reached Greece: what people demand

For tourists, Greece is one of the most desirable vacation destinations in Europe and around the world. This popularity has created a lot of problems for the locals.

As Euronews writes, it has come to the point where workers in the country's tourism industry have come out to protest. They complain that they cannot survive on their current salaries. In addition, they are exhausted at work due to a shortage of workers and too long working hours.

"We are asking for a 12% increase over the next two years, which is 6% per year. We are also asking for a 5-day/40-hour working week in 2024," Yorgos Hotzoglou, president of the Hellenic Federation of Tourism Workers, told reporters.

According to him, employees can barely survive on their current salaries, as they do not keep up with inflation. An additional burden is also placed on public services such as water and waste disposal.

The protesters promise to target tourists arriving in Greece. They will be handed leaflets explaining the plight of workers in the industry at airports, ports, and archaeological sites.

However, a PwC study found that while the number of tourists arriving in Greece has increased this year, the country's overall tourism sector is not growing as fast as other Mediterranean countries. "The Mediterranean and Balkan countries are generally increasing their share of the international tourism market, which means that tourists prefer this region for their vacations. If we compare our country with other countries, it seems that our share is growing, but not at the same pace," explained Leonidas Papaioanou, Partner at PwC Greece.

It is worth noting that tourism officials in Greece are also trying to work with problematic issues. This is how they try to convince visitors that there are many interesting things to see in the country, besides the picturesque island of Santorini.

Greece has long been promoting the idea of sustainable tourism and trying to help solve the problem of the impact of travel on the environment. However, experts say the country still lacks a comprehensive approach. "We need to offer experiences that go beyond the traditional 'sun and sea' concept that we currently dominate as an international brand. We also need to improve our infrastructure and human resources," said Alexandros Thanou, Director of the Hellenic Confederation of Tourism (SETE).

In the coming years, the Greek tourism industry has set itself the goal of extending the tourist season to autumn and winter. And also to popularize the mountainous regions of the country along with the coast.

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