Boats to Santorini Blocked Due to Trash From Tourism

Santorini has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in recent years. Like many small but scenic European cities, their main source of income is tourism, but this source of ever-growing revenue comes with a big price: pollution and destruction of the island.

This summer, Santorini began limiting the number of boats that visit the island each day in an effort to reduce the exorbitant amounts of garbage the island accumulates from foreign tourists.

Santorini can have as many as 10.000 tourists visit in a single day, and with them comes litter and pollution.

Not only is there an increasing garbage and waste problem, but the need for water and power has also increased with tourism. Water and power consumption has nearly doubled, meaning that limited resources are also in danger for Santorini residents. And because many of the people who use these resources are tourists on vacation, they are treated as expendable, and are wasted at a tremendous rate. A blackout occurred in 2013 when, during peak tourism season, the demand for power per month was nearly equal to what it used to be for four months combined.

Does this mean that during off season, Santorini returns to its peaceful nature? Not exactly. Permanent residents have also increased from 10,000 people to 25,000, meaning more cars, power, and water is needed for a population that has almost tripled in size. Santorini is currently working on their conservation efforts however are finding it difficult to balance their largest source of income with conservation efforts.