Published on September 6, 2025
Athena, nan Greek capital, is preparing to amended negociate tourism arsenic nan number of visitors is increasing astatine an unprecedented rate. The country’s tourism manufacture is booming arsenic The United Kingdom is nan superior competitor successful nan industry, pinch complete 4.5 cardinal visitors to Greece successful nan erstwhile year. The authorities person moved to negociate nan incoming international visitors that nan metropolis is group to person this year. Forecasts are suggesting that nan metropolis is expected to person an unprecedented 10 cardinal visitors this year, thus, authorities are concerned astir nan city’s infrastructure, nationalist services, and lodging units.
Short word rental agreements to beryllium signed from October 1, 2023, are expected to beryllium much elaborate than those which existed successful nan past. The reasons down these changes are to beforehand stable tourism and to beforehand safe lodging readiness to nan section population. The Civil Liability Insurance, Natural Lighting and Ventilation, and, Air Conditioning are parts of nan minimum requirements that person to beryllium met successful bid for a rental to beryllium classed arsenic compliant. Standard protective measures specified arsenic visible and unobstructed occurrence flight routes, extinguishers, alarms, and different occurrence extinguishing systems person been made portion of nan requirements. Properties besides are required to person (seed) disease control, First Aid Kits, and emergency interaction submission for guests. Most rental estates would beryllium submitting fines of astir €5000 for nonaccomplishment to comply pinch nan regulations.
To support amended way of overcrowding issues, Athens has implemented a Sustainable Tourism Observatory. This programme analyzes nan capacity of immoderate neighborhoods based connected occupancy, nan stock of short-term rental housing, and nan section demographics. Above nan calculated thresholds, nan rental entities concerned are notified and bookings are reduced, thereby helping to minimize nan effect of overtourism connected nan residential and humanities zones of nan city.
The metropolis nary longer insists connected hassle-based strategies specified arsenic tourer entranceway fees and indiscriminately removing geo-targeted online ads, arsenic has been done successful different European cities. Rather, Athens intends astatine designing a tourism strategy that optimally captures nan economical gains pinch minimum societal and ecological disruptions.
Overtourism has go a cardinal rumor successful Europe, pinch crowding, strain connected infrastructure, and accrued clash betwixt locals and visitors successful galore cities. Cities that are incapable to restrict nan number of incoming visitors are subjected to nationalist outrage and disruption of calm regular routines. Athens is preemptively attempting to reside specified issues pinch caller policies that heighten nan equilibrium betwixt a city’s attractiveness for visitors and nan value of life for its locals.
Turing gives veridic highlights to nan system of Athens by nan conversion of galore aspects of nan metropolis to nan manufacture of billions of euros utilized and nan translator of occupation aspects successful nan fields of hospitality, Transport, Trade, and Cultured sector, and Services arsenic well. However, nan net beryllium to beryllium much benefitting for ample corporations and extracurricular investors. On nan contrary, nan section communities are suffering from nan value climbs and draining banal of reasonable dwelling. The changeless emergence successful request for short word rentals has made nan information of accommodation alternatively difficult. The caller rules are meant to easiness these conditions and guarantee that tourism still has its affirmative power to nan city.
The Sustinable Tourism Observatory will beryllium cardinal successful slicing up nan Tourism Map of Athens. The metropolis will beryllium efficiently capable to power complete crowding and guarantee compliance to nan value of life rules by keeping Athens’ information standards and equilibrium done controlling nan vicinity capacity, researching connected short word rentals, and cooperative activity pinch rental companies.
The forthcoming caller changes successful tourism argumentation for Athens is apt to beryllium nan astir bold measurement done to further nan intends of tourism sustainability successful Athens. The Protection of nan residents on pinch nan information driven strategies to beryllium monitored will guarantee nan information of visitors. The metropolis wishes to support its visitors by controlling nan spike successful tourism and successful return, beforehand its estimation arsenic 1 of nan astir visited cities connected nan globe topped pinch astir perfect destinations.
Athen intends to person an equilibrated economical maturation paired pinch an world beingness without sacrificing nan comfortableness of its citizens. The actions taken successful this lawsuit purpose to guarantee that tourism remains an advantage for nan city’s system while protecting nan citizens good being.