Greece said the cosmopolitan island of Santorini is safe and ready to welcome tourists as the first cruise ship of the season bringing 1,170 mostly American tourists docked on Sunday.
After the long seismic period that changed the lives of the residents of Santorini, Amorgos and Anafi, all restrictive measures have now been lifted, work has begun on tourist accommodations and hoteliers are preparing for this year’s tourist season.
Experts say that the seismic activity, which began in late January and continued for almost a month, has subsided. Inspections of public buildings across the island have confirmed they have withstood the tremors and are safe to reopen, while the enhanced safety measures introduced during the earthquake swarm will remain in place.
In an interview with CNN, Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni explained that authorities had prioritized public safety during the “earthquake swarm” that hit the volcanic island and popular tourist destination in early February. However, she assured that scientists have now given “the all-clear.”
“Santorini is open and operating completely as normal. Visitors should feel 100% confident in booking for the season,” she said.
“Now the scientists have given us the green light, the residents have returned to the island and professionals from all sectors are preparing for the current season. Santorini is ready to welcome visitors,” she added.
A total of 35 cruise ships are expected in April. According to the president of the Cruise Association, reservations for 2025 show an increase in cruise and passenger traffic of at least 10 percent.
It should be noted that last year’s season closed with 7.9 million passengers. 1.3 million visited Santorini. This shows that tourists choose cruises because they include the island of Santorini.
Santorini now safe following earthquakes
Scientists remain on the island, watching and monitoring the phenomenon of seismic sequences, and continuing measurements.
More than 20,000 earthquakes of magnitude 1 or higher were recorded between January 26 and February 22, sometimes only minutes apart.
The tremors were due to natural tectonic movements and magma shifts below the seabed. The earthquake swarm prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency on the island, as well as in neighboring Amorgos, in early February and forced thousands of local residents and workers to flee.
Santorini, one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations and renowned for its volcanic caldera, is part of a volcanic arc with underwater volcanoes near its coast, including Nea Kameni and Kolumbo.
Santorini’s volcanoes have been almost “quiet” for almost 400 years. The last time Kolumbo erupted, in 1650, it killed more than 70 people and caused a 40-meter-high tsunami. Strong earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded, along with toxic gases and smoke.
The most recent eruption took place between January, 10, and February 2, 1950.