Internationally the tourist industry is the third largest industry, contributing over 11 trillion USD to the global economy and employing over 300 million people. Nearly 1.5 billion people travel as a tourist every year!

1.5 Billion People Travel As A Tourist Every Year!

Now that increasing numbers of the massive populations of Chinese and Indian people have the money to travel more often and to greater distances, the number of travellers is skyrocketing.

Many countries are feeling the pressure from the ever larger number of tourists, including Greece.

Greek Islands used to be a tranquil getaway from the rat race of busy life. That is until cruise ships became very popular and affordable.

Now Greece has a problem. A massive 20% of their economy is from tourism, but can get too much of a good thing?

Imagine spending thousands on a luxury secluded villa in the beautiful island of Santorini. Take a stroll down the main town of Fira for a late morning coffee only to have several hundred fellow tourists flood off boats ferrying them from cruise ships docked further out. Urgently pushing and shoving their way through, they are on a scheduled visit, so no time to waste.

Kind of spoils the ambience of the place. Sure some people like to people watch. Many others are choosing elsewhere for their quiet break because of the noisy hustle and bustle packs of cruise ship travellers bring.

Several Cruise Ships Stop By Every Day.

Santorini is the most popular of the Greek islands and it's easy to see why. Beautiful water, picturesque villages, different coloured beaches and a unique and stunning vista formed by a long extinct volcano. Several cruise ships stop by every day.

Map location of Santorini the most popular of the Greek islands

Greece has over 6000 islands, many of which are very busy with tourists in the summer. Santorini is north of Crete, lying between the Greek mainland and Turkey. Although it has an area of only 76 Km2 (30 miles sq.) it is the 36th largest Greek island.
British and Germans visit in very large numbers.

 

Top 10 Greek Tourist Based Interesting Facts

1. Greece welcomes over 30 million tourists a year. 3 x it's 10 million population.

2. Greek income from cruise ship tourism is 900 million euros (1 billion USD)

3. Greek Island Santorini with a population of 15,000 has 800 cruise ships a year spilling 1.3 million visitors onto the small island.

4. In mid summer, 1 in 5 people in Greece is a tourist.

5. Greece is the 9th most popular tourist destination in the world. 7th in Europe.

6. Greece makes around 40 Billion Euros (43 Billion USD) from tourism.

7. The Greek economy is the 54th largest in the world. 21st in Europe. Nearly 20% of the income comes from tourism.

8. Greece has over 6000 islands. Not all of them are packed with tourists. Also an impressive 16,000 km (9900 miles) of coastline and 80% of the land is mountainous.

9. Greece is home to more Archaeological museums than any other country.

10. There are 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Greece.

About The Author
Clare Marshall
Chewells Contributor

Clare is our lady for the cruise industry. She worked on cruise ships from a young... »

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Replies

• John (Feb 4, 2025)
  Over 300 tremors in the last week has seen 6000 tourists flee the island.
• Aba Selassie (Oct 3, 2024)
  Very surprising list on the Travel Bible website with their top ten popular areas that most DISLIKE tourists.
• Noddy (Sept 24, 2024)
  The Greek government are considering a cruise ship tax. 20 Euros per person on board!
• Johnny Boy (Sept 12, 2024)
  Santorini is absolutely amazing. Everyone should go!
• Grace (Sept 2, 2024)
  Areas in Spain have seen protests over the increasing tourist numbers.
• Mark (Sept 2, 2024)
  During the covid19 pandemic, locals got their villages and towns to themselves and liked it. No tourists. This did mean income was down, but money isn't everything. Then after the pandemic, the tourists came flooding back in and the contrast was unbearable for some people. Locals in many areas now want to have restrictions on the number of visitors. Tourist companies will keep sending as many people as possible with no regard to local life. The government needs to control numbers for the benefit of everyone and the environment.
• Yacht (Aug 17, 2024)
  I prefer Espania . Wish the Greeks would sort out their sewage system so they can put toilet paper down the toilet instead of the bin. Absolutely disgusting!

• Name