New tourist taxes in Greece: What visitors need to know

Greece is introducing new taxes for tourists. The dates and rates of the new fees and the places where they will apply are already known. The good news is that the taxes will not affect all visitors.

It will, of course, be most expensive in the places most frequented by tourists. Each cruise ship passenger disembarking on the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini will have to pay a tax of 20 euros (about $21) in the peak tourist season, announced Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on Monday, September 16. In other ports, the fee will be five euros (about $5.50).

The fees will be in effect from June 1 to September 30. According to authorities' estimates, the tax revenue is expected to reach 50 million euros annually. The sum will be divided into three parts: the first will go to local authorities, the second to the Ministry of Islands and Shipping, and the third to the Ministry of Tourism.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the introduction of the fee. He stated that it would be imposed due to the burden on the islands from incoming cruise ships. He also assessed that only a few places in Greece are dealing with the problem of excessive tourism.

Beginning January 1, 2025, new Airbnb licenses will also be frozen in three central districts of Athens.

"Tourism in Athens has grown significantly in recent years. Last year, the number of foreign tourists exceeded 7 million, and this year that record is expected to be broken," reported the mayor's press office last week.

Data from Athens airport shows that in the first eight months of 2024, the airport handled 14.9 million passengers from abroad, which is almost 17 percent more than the year before.

In 2023, Greece was visited by about 33 million tourists, which is about 5 million more than the previous year.