Plaka District In Athens Struggles With Overtourism And Rising Living Costs

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

The ancient metropolis of Athens has agelong attracted travelers willing successful its rich | heritage. However, nan caller surge successful tourism has led to immoderate unintended consequences, particularly successful nan historical Plaka district. Here, locals are voicing concerns astir nan effects of overtourism. Athens expects a record-breaking 10 cardinal visitors this year, a important jump from 8 cardinal successful 2024. As a result, nan charm of Plaka, located beneath nan Acropolis, is being overshadowed by nan challenges that travel pinch specified ample visitant numbers.

Giorgos Zafeiriou, a long-time resident of Plaka and leader of nan residents’ association, has seen firsthand really tourism has changed his beloved neighborhood. “Plaka is threatened by overtourism,” Zafeiriou said, referring to nan bustling streets filled pinch nan sounds of tourists, restaurants, and nan changeless sound of suitcase wheels navigating crowded spaces. Plaka was erstwhile a serene area wherever history and modern life coexisted, but now it faces accrued pressures from tourism.

The Tourism Surge and Its Impact connected Plaka

In caller years, Athens has go 1 of Europe’s apical destinations for world travelers. Once considered conscionable a stopover for those heading to Greece’s islands, Athens now draws millions hoping to sojourn historical sites for illustration nan Parthenon and nan ancient Agora. The surge successful recreation pursuing nan pandemic has only accrued this popularity. Consequently, nan Plaka district, situated astatine nan ft of nan Acropolis, has go a cardinal constituent for this influx of tourists.

Tourism is important for Greece’s economical recovery, but it has importantly changed Plaka, which is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood. “We cannot spot it suffer its soul,” said Lydia Carras, caput of nan Ellet association, which useful to protect Plaka’s taste and biology heritage. The territory is known for its cafes, mini Byzantine churches, and Ottoman-era landmarks. Now, its charming streets are often overflowing pinch tourists, blocking constrictive paths and overwhelming section businesses.

Economic Benefits vs. Social Strain

For galore residents and shop owners successful Athens, tourism presents a mixed blessing. Konstantinos Marinakis, who runs a souvenir shop successful Plaka, recognizes nan economical benefits of tourism, which has played a cardinal domiciled successful Greece’s betterment from nan 2008 financial crisis. “Greece is yet doing amended acknowledgment to nan wellness of tourism,” he said, noting that nan manufacture has created jobs and boosted section commerce.

However, arsenic tourer numbers grow, truthful do nan costs of surviving and doing business successful nan area. Housing prices person changeable up, making it harder for locals to spend to unrecorded successful their neighborhood. The emergence successful short-term rentals, peculiarly done platforms for illustration Airbnb, has worsened this problem. The summation successful seasonal rentals has led to soaring rents, forcing galore longtime residents to leave.

Local Backlash and Measures for Change

The backlash against overtourism successful Plaka is portion of a broader inclination seen successful celebrated European destinations for illustration Barcelona and Venice, wherever locals person expressed vexation pinch wide tourism’s antagonistic effects. In Athens, residents are concerned astir rising rents and commercialization successful their historical neighborhood. Mayor Haris Doukas has acknowledged these problems, admitting that areas for illustration Plaka are “saturated pinch tourists.” While nan metropolis takes pridefulness successful being a apical tourer destination, location is increasing consciousness that action is basal to negociate nan business earlier it spirals retired of control.

To tackle these issues, nan metropolis has initiated measures to modulate tourism successful Plaka. An involution portion has been created to enforce section rules and guarantee that businesses do not return complete nationalist spaces. This portion is backed by constabulary and allows residents to study violations, specified arsenic encroachment connected pedestrian areas aliases forbidden parking.

The metropolis has besides struggled to enforce laws connected short-term rentals. Dimitris Melissas, a lawyer for nan Ellet association, has taken action against buildings converted into aggregate rental units, arguing that they run arsenic hotels without due oversight. This case, presently nether reappraisal by Greece’s highest administrative court, could group an important ineligible precedent for regulating short-term rentals successful Athens.

Future of Plaka and Athens

Athens stands astatine a pivotal point. While nan metropolis continues to summation from tourism, it is progressively difficult to equilibrium maturation pinch preservation. The early of nan Plaka district, pinch its agelong history, is uncertain. City officials and residents alike look nan situation of protecting nan area’s characteristic while welcoming millions of visitors each year.

For nan clip being, residents of Plaka stay committed to preserving nan area’s essence. Efforts to modulate tourism, negociate short-term rentals, and support nationalist spaces are affirmative steps. However, pinch nan influx of visitors showing nary motion of slowing down, Athens will request semipermanent solutions to guarantee its taste and humanities treasures stay intact for early generations.

Conclusion

The tourism roar successful Athens, peculiarly successful nan historical Plaka district, has sparked a analyzable statement astir balancing economical maturation and preservation. While tourism provides captious gross for nan city, it besides brings challenges that must beryllium resolved to support nan characteristic of 1 of Europe’s oldest neighborhoods. Through thoughtful readying and regulation, Athens tin support welcoming visitors while safeguarding its taste heritage, allowing some locals and visitors to bask this historical metropolis for years to come.

(Source: Athens City Government, Plaka Residents’ Association, Lydia Carras, Dimitris Melissas)