Greece, a country known for its ancient and romantic landscapes, steeped in legendary tales, has long been dubbed the “Paradise of Tourism” in Europe and the world. However, recently, the dire consequences of climate change are plunging this “Paradise of Tourism” into an unprecedented nightmare.
From a Top Travel Destination
On World Tourism Day, September 27, 2023, the European Union’s statistical agency, Eurostat, released a list of the world’s top travel destinations, with Greece ranking among the highest.
This is not the first time this southeastern European nation has held a high position in travel destination rankings. With millions of tourists from around the globe, Greece is truly a paradise, attracting visitors with both its natural beauty and rich historical culture. Locations such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Zakynthos draw travelers with their stunning beaches and traditional seaside villages.
Tourists visiting Chora on Naxos Island, Greece, June 20, 2024. (Photo: Reuters).
As a crossroads of three continents—Asia, Europe, and Africa, Greece is one of the few countries that has crystallized from the most brilliant cultures of ancient times, encompassing literature, architecture, sculpture, and sports, with ancient literature holding a special place through epic collections such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Greek architecture enchants visitors with its grandeur and perfection, with many temples and public structures still standing today: the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, the Temple of Hephaestus, the ancient Agora of Athens, the Theater and Temple of Apollo, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and more. Greece is also home to numerous unique festivals that are hard to find in any other country: the Jazz Festival in Paxos, the flour-throwing festival in Galaxidi, outdoor music festivals, culinary festivals, and it is the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
Due to these countless attractions, Greece remains a top destination for global travelers. In 2022, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias revealed that the country’s tourism revenue had increased by 342% compared to 2021. In 2023, the number of visitors to Greece continued to reach a staggering “high” as the country welcomed nearly 33 million visitors. This figure shattered the previous record of 31.3 million visitors in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Consequently, Greece’s tourism revenue also hit a record high, generating nearly 20.5 billion Euros, surpassing the 18.15 billion Euros of 2019.
Haunted by Climate Change
However, the unforeseen repercussions that Greece is bearing from climate change are driving the tourism sector into a new nightmare. This summer is a “fiery” season, both literally and figuratively, for Greece. For months, this southeastern European nation has been overwhelmed by multiple wildfires.
On July 8, the Greek government announced that the country had to respond to over 1,200 wildfires in June alone, double the number from the same period last year. Greece has doubled the number of firefighters in specialized units to about 1,300. Residents and tourists have been forced to evacuate or steer clear of areas affected by wildfires or at high risk of fires.
Greece frequently faces wildfires.
Drought and water shortages are another haunting concern for the people and tourists in Greece. Most of Greece’s territory has experienced little to no rain for several months. At the end of June 2024, the largest reservoir on the island of Naxos ran dry.
“There has been a severe shortage of rainfall across the Mediterranean and especially in Naxos, our reservoirs have run dry” – said Dimitris Lianos, the mayor of Naxos Island. Authorities in Naxos have deployed mobile desalination units to address the immediate drinking water needs of residents and tourists. On the northern island of Thasos, authorities are also seeking a desalination unit to make seawater drinkable.
Not only causing heatwaves, wildfires, and water shortages, climate change is also adversely affecting Greece’s ancient monuments and cultural heritage. For instance, experts have pointed out that extreme weather phenomena in recent years, along with air pollution and acid rain, have caused structural issues on the walls and temples at the ancient Acropolis – one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in Greece.
Ancient Greece is believed to be collapsing due to drought.
A Complex Battle Against a New Peace-Time Enemy
In 2023, facing the increasingly severe consequences of climate change, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis remarked that his country is experiencing “a kind of war in peacetime” and climate change is the new enemy.
But this is a battle that is not easy, not only for Greece but for most countries. “We have gone around COP29,” as many issues remain unresolved, with the most pressing being climate financing, or how wealthy countries fund developing nations to implement measures to adapt to climate change and transition to clean energy” – emphasized Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In this context, “where is the money?” remains the most pressing question. In 2009, developed countries agreed to contribute 100 billion USD annually to help low-income countries invest in clean energy and cope with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change; however, achieving this goal has now been delayed by over two years from the commitment.
But difficulty does not mean acceptance of stagnation; it means facing challenges. “The costs of recovering from natural disasters are substantial, but our economy is strong enough to support it. What we have lost, the state and the people will rebuild together” – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated.
Not only words, but also practical benefits, especially from the tourism aspect, Greece is taking decisive actions against climate change. In April, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that the country is promoting 21 initiatives worth 780 million EUR to protect marine biodiversity and address coastal pollution. Greece has also enacted laws to expand marine protected areas to over 30% of its territorial waters by 2030. As part of these initiatives, Greece intends to establish two marine parks in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea.
Marine conservation is also considered one of the four pillars of Greece’s climate change strategy (the first pillar is to accelerate the green transition so that Greece gradually meets electricity demand from natural sources – 60% this year and 80% by 2030; the second pillar is to strengthen the country and government against natural disasters; the third pillar is public order and environmental construction).
“Quietly but methodically, Greece is playing a leading role in defending against severe climate changes that are affecting all areas and activities,” the head of the Greek government declared at the Our Ocean conference, hosted in Athens from April 15 to 17, 2024, attended by approximately 120 countries.
