Greece’s picturesque island of Symi in the Dodecanese—situated in the southeastern Aegean Sea—is making headlines this week, as it has decided to take measures to curb overtourism.
To prevent the issues of excessive overtourism and in an attempt to alleviate pressure on its limited infrastructure, the Municipality of Symi announced this week that it will implement a three-euro fee for all-day visitors arriving on the island without an overnight stay. This targets tourists who visit the island only for a few hours, particularly from nearby larger islands, such as Rhodes.
When will the overtourism measures take effect on Symi?
Effective immediately, this new three-euro ($3,5) charge will be collected by ferry companies and agencies that organize excursions to Symi. The revenue generated will likely support the services of the local council for residents and tourists.
On Symi, which is a particularly small Greek island of around 23 square miles (60 sq km) with a permanent population of less than 3,000 residents, there have been growing concerns about mass day tourism. While economically beneficial, it disproportionately strains the island’s resources without a significant positive effect on the local community.
Despite its small size, the island’s picturesque landscape and exceptionally beautiful architecture make it a magnet for foreign visitors. Symi has seen a significant rise in tourist traffic in recent years, especially during its peak season from May to October, when it welcomes between 1,000 to 5,000 day visitors daily. Many arrive from nearby Rhodes or Turkey, with peak summer days bringing the total number of people on the island to as many as 6,000 at a time.
Rhodes is a much larger island, covering approximately 540 square miles (1,400 sq km), with a permanent population of around 130,000 residents, making it over twenty times larger in area and about forty to fifty times more populous than Symi. This influx of visitors on Symi during peak season has placed significant strain on essential services such as water supply, sewage, and waste management, as the island is simply not designed to accommodate so many people at one given time. In addition to these issues, mass tourism is contributing to traffic congestion and pressure on cultural heritage sites on the island.
Symi is not the first Mediterranean tourist destination to implement measures, including fees, to curb overtourism. This has been a growing trend among popular Greek islands and other European destinations, as they grapple with the effects of mass tourism. Greek islands such as Mykonos and Santorini have already introduced similar measures, including cruise ship passenger fees and stricter regulations on short-term rentals, to balance the much-needed revenue from tourism with the preservation of local communities and the environment.
