Historic Plaka District In Athens Overwhelmed By Tourism And Rising Costs

Published on August 9, 2025 |

Athens has go a massively celebrated metropolis for tourism, and is expected to scope complete 10 cardinal visitors by 2025, marking a 2 cardinal summation from 2024. This maturation has surely benefitted nan section economy; however, it has besides sparked societal conflict, peculiarly successful nan Plaka district. Also known arsenic nan vicinity of nan gods, Plaka has a rich | humanities and taste significance. It is known to beryllium situated nether nan Acropolis and is now heavy marketed arsenic a tourism hotspot. This has led to an summation successful locals opposing nan overexploitation of nan area, while its basal characteristic has been utterly transformed.

Residents’ Association typical and Plaka territory resident, Giorgos Zafeiriou, lamented really unrestrained tourism is causing accrued erosion to taste authenticity and historical identity. He, for illustration nan remainder of nan residents, heavy reminisces astir nan authentic charm and quiet characteristic of nan district. Instead, they are now forced to carnivore nan unrestrained flood of changeless visitors coming to Greece. It has go clear that an summation successful tourism successful nan state is benefiting nan system arsenic a whole; however, it is posing a situation successful trying to equilibrium nan obliteration of section practice arsenic a consequence of reckless tourism.

Plaka: The Oldest Neighbourhood of Europe Strangled by Over-Tourism

Found astatine nan ft of nan Acropolis of Athens is referred to arsenic nan oldest surviving territory successful Europe. The Greek cafes and pubs, streets from nan Ottoman and Byzantine times, and nan galore historical landmarks showcase nan singular history of nan state arsenic good arsenic nan rich | civilization it possesses. It is without uncertainty that Plaka serves arsenic a captivating portion of Athens; however, nan expanding number of visitors that sojourn each twelvemonth is contributing to nan streets of Plaka becoming busier and congested.

As a portion of nan tourer association, Lydia Carras has aimed to protect nan practice of Plaka and is highly petrified of nan expanding number of visitors that are visiting nan site. She does mention nan benefits of Plaka connected nan remainder of nan economy; however, she besides stated that specified benefits could portion nan vicinity of its identity, which would only further nan spread successful nan narration nan locals are expected to person pinch a region that has been their vicinity for decades.

Tourism arsenic a Double-Edged Sword

Tourism virtually single-handedly revived nan Greek system while besides allowing nan state to retrieve from nan years of austerity stemming from nan 2008 world financial crisis. As a souvenir shop proprietor successful Plaka, Konstantinos Marinakis acknowledged, nan roar successful tourism fostered a Greek economical miracle. Marinakis observed that nan country’s betterment has, successful part, been supported by nan robust capacity of nan tourism industry, arsenic a ample information of nan section organization is now benefiting from nan accrued world visitors.

To this prosperity, however, a deep-rooted dual dilemma poses nan crisp emergence successful nan costs of living, particularly for nan residents successful Plaka. Coupled pinch a rising request for short-term rentals, locals person go displaced from their neighborhoods. Residents often extremity up surviving successful nonstop conflict pinch nan visitors arsenic visitors are blamed for paying, exacerbating nan section civilization prices and pushing locals out. This script is not constricted to nan sphere of Athens, arsenic different cities that service arsenic capitals for tourism, specified arsenic Barcelona aliases Venice, look nan aforesaid challenges.

The Increasing Pressure connected Plaka

The accelerated improvement of Plaka’s tourism assemblage has led to a disproportionate alteration successful nan neighborhood’s demographics. Tourists person outnumbered locals, particularly during nan summer. Actual information regarding nan number of visitors successful Plaka is difficult to obtain, arsenic census information is reported astatine nan level of Athens arsenic a whole. Nevertheless, it is estimated that nan neighborhood’s organization of 2,000 residents tin beryllium inundated pinch 8,000 visitors connected immoderate fixed summertime day.

To alleviate nan burning issues, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas accepted nan load of dealing pinch nan problem of overtourism, which has affected Plaka and akin areas arsenic visitant magnets. He noted that Athens takes pridefulness successful being 1 of nan apical 10 cities successful nan world pinch nan astir world visitors, but location is simply a request to negociate nan tourism systems and their effects connected nan vicinity of Plaka. While expressing pridefulness successful nan tourism numbers, Doukas noted that it is captious to put successful spot involution strategies earlier it is excessively late, arsenic it is successful cities for illustration Barcelona.

Obstacles successful Addressing Overtourism Concerns

Athens is making efforts to negociate highlighted problem areas and mitigate immoderate impacts of overtourism wrong nan city. A abstracted enforcement squad is now successful complaint of monitoring designated “intervention zones” to guarantee compliance pinch nan restoration and preservation efforts of Plaka’s Historical Center. This squad useful successful conjunction pinch nan constabulary to make definite that nan pavements are free from eating terrace intrusions and that parking does not artifact pedestrian access.

Although these policies are commendable, location is still activity to beryllium done. Dimitris Melissas, an municipality planner and attorney, remarked that nan city’s attempts to power nan problem person not been successful. He noted that galore buildings successful Plaka person been transformed into respective short-term rental apartments, which successful reality usability arsenic hotels. This believe has led to a melodramatic summation successful nan readiness of lodging that is rented retired connected a short-term basis, making it intolerable for residents to spend lodging successful nan area.

Legal Controversies Associated pinch Short-Term Rentals

Melissa is fighting a ineligible conflict against respective properties located successful Plaka that person been transformed into short-term rental establishments, claiming that they usability arsenic unlicensed hotels. He is presently successful nan country’s highest administrative court, nan Council of State, from which a determination is anticipated by nan extremity of September. The determination of this lawsuit could person an important ineligible effect connected nan limb of nan ineligible strategy that involves governance of short-term rentals successful Athens.

Steps person already been taken to curb nan number of caller short-term rental registrations successful nan halfway of Athens. Regardless of these restrictions, Melissa’s concerns astir nan effect of specified policies remain, particularly considering that advertisements for short-term rental listings proceed to flood section newspapers. He believes that nan authorities is doing thing successful respect to nan tourer industry; however, nan greater rumor is nan enforcement of immoderate rules formulated successful respect to tourism.

Safeguarding Athens’ Legacy for Posterity

Residents of Plaka, together pinch preservationists specified arsenic Carras, person made progressive efforts to make judge that their vicinity does not suffer its taste personality to nan increasing tourism industry. Work continues to find a mediate crushed betwixt nan economical benefits of tourism and nan preservation of section life. Greece’s system relies heavy connected tourism, but it is arsenic important to find sustainable methods of managing it, particularly successful culturally delicate regions for illustration Plaka.

The continued and intensifying influx of visitors to Athens is simply a double-edged beard arsenic it brings economical opportunities while threatening historical sites. Plaka is simply a microcosm of nan problems associated pinch overtourism that galore cities crossed nan globe face, and uncovering strategies to tackle them is important to guarantee that tourism is simply a boon for some nan system and nan section population.

(Source: Giorgos Zafeiriou, Lydia Carras, Konstantinos Marinakis, Mayor Haris Doukas, Dimitris Melissas, Ellet Association, Athens Residents’ Association)