Tourist numbers on one particular island have dropped
10:48, 13 Jun 2025Updated 12:37, 14 Jun 2025
Tourists wait for the sunset in the village of Oia on the Greek island of Santorini(Image: ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)
UK holidaymakers are reportedly “scared” and avoiding holidays in Greece as tourism figures take a nosedive in popular destinations. The number of tourists on Santorini has fallen, with concerns that earthquakes are deterring visitors, according to a local tourism board.
Seismic activity earlier in the year on the island has led to many international tourists opting out of selecting it for their summer getaways. For the first time since the Covid pandemic, Santorini is witnessing a downturn in tourist numbers, reports Birmingham Live.
“In Santorini, available airline seats are down 26% from the beginning of the year to date. But the indications we have in terms of supply of seats are down in the range of 7%-8% for the summer, so we expect a result with losses of 10%-15%,” Yannis Paraschis, president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), disclosed.
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Antonis Pagoni, the president of the Santorini hoteliers, spoke to Euronews about his prediction of a further drop in tourist traffic and cautioned that the impact would ripple through the entire Greek economy.
“The president of SETE talked about airport arrivals,” he continued, “but I will unfortunately say that overall arrivals will be down about 20%-25%. Right now we are moving at -25% to -30%.”
“It’s a huge reduction in a destination like Santorini that attracts more than 3 million visitors. You know, it’s 10% of Greek tourism. We are not sure if Greece can afford to lose that revenue.”
Greece is prone to experiencing extreme natural events including earthquakes, wildfires, extreme heat, and flash floods. For alerts regarding events close to your location in Greece, it’s advisable to register for notifications.
The Foreign Office has issued advice saying: “The area around the Cycladic islands of Santorini (Thira), Anafi, Ios and Amorgos, experienced increased earthquake activity in early 2025. This increase has since subsided and the tourist season is expected to continue as usual.”
Furthermore, they stated: “There is a risk of earthquakes and earth tremors in Greece.”
At the start of June another Greek island, Rhodes, also felt the tremors of an earthquake, although the epicentre was in Turkey. British tourists reported awaking to hear a loud rumbling noise and feel their hotels shaking.