The 'Thailand of Europe' where UK tourists are pricing out locals

Tourism to Greece is in itsprime, with 6.3 million international arrivals between January and May this year. But while foreigners are enjoying their holiday dreams in Greece, locals are experiencing the difficult consequence of overtourism - being priced out. An example is the Aegina island, popular among budget-conscious Greeks for its affordable ferry fares. In 2024, more than two million visitors travelled to Aegina. But this year, locals have noticed a change: empty water sports sites, significantly fewer cars, and a general feeling that people are not travelling anymore.

Or, at least, not the Greeks themselves. It seems like locals have given up on the sea, and the reason is becoming increasingly obvious: they are being priced out. In Aegina, the price for a one-week stay in an Airbnb for a couple can spike up to more than £1,000-something that many Greeks with an average annual salary of £13,842 simply cannot afford.

Studies by the Union of Working Consumers in Greece show that one in two Greeks will not go on holiday in 2025. Eurostat has reported that nearly half of Greece's population - about 46% - couldn't afford a one-week vacation last year, a rate around 19 percentage points higher than the EU average. An Alco poll in June revealed that the main causes are rocketing accommodation costs, ferry fares and restaurant prices.

"Greeks are being priced out from enjoying what was a cultural and religious tradition, the August holiday," Prof Christos Pitelis, an expert on industrial economics and the tourism and hospitality sector at the University of Southampton, told The Guardian. "Dwindling disposable incomes make this an experience many simply cannot afford."

In Athens, this reality is visible on the streets. Public transport is overcrowded, traffic shows little sign of easing, and open-air cinemas, bars, and fast-food outlets are packed with young people who haven't been able to leave the city for the summer. As one local Athenian put it: "We are the Thailand of Europe; we provide services for others to enjoy."

Last year, protests againstmass tourism and overtourism swept holiday hotspots in Europe, including Greece, and demonstrations wereheld again this year.