Overtourism rows have erupted in yet another Greek island as locals claim visitors have already ruined “70 percent of its beauty” with litter and overcrowding.
Paros, one of the immensely popular Cycladic islands, is a notoriously beautiful holiday destination, with around half a million people flocking there during the summer season.
But this popularity has come with consequences to the natural landscape and living conditions of locals, who are getting increasingly angry at the island’s every-growing tourism industry.
Residents, campaigners, and local officials alike are speaking out against the out-of-control visitor numbers that strain the small island’s resources, mainly affecting locals.
Tonia Pantelaiou, a retired teacher on Paros, lives in what was once the quiet village of Kamari but is now surrounded by imposing holiday villa complexes for wealthy tourists.
She voiced her despair at the “crazy” situation that is ruining the “beauty and authenticity” of Paros as the beaches become full of litter and cars congest the streets.
She told Greek City Times: “Already Paros has lost 70 percent of its beauty and authenticity. It’s like living in a big city. The villages are full of cars, there is rubbish on the beaches. But still, they want more people to come. It’s crazy.
“These villas are 400 square metres, all have pools and they all want to look at the sea. The amount of water and energy they use is incredible, when water is very precious to us.”
Nicolas Stephanou, a 40-year-old resident of Paros who co-founded the Network for a Sustainable Cyclades, is a local at the forefront of recent overtourism protests.
He helped to create a website that documents the construction of high-end hotels and villas, which require hige amounts of resources and permanently alter the natural landscape.
He told the outlet: “We wanted to reclaim the beaches because the beach bars are out of control. But the biggest threat to the island is the scale of construction, which is irreversible.
“It’s very frightening because if overtourism continues like this our identity will be lost and the identity and cultural heritage of the Cyclades is our strongest asset.”
There has also been a fight against the privatisation of Paros’ beaches, known as the “beach towel revolt” – a group created on Facebook a year ago.
The collective wrote online: “We are concerned about the dispossession of the beaches of Paros by companies that exploit part of the coastline.”
In response, Greek authorities issued over £295,000 in fines to bars and restaurants in July for illegally taking over beaches on the mainland and its islands with sunbeds and tables.