CIRCLE THE MED FORUM, 4 JUNE 2025

CIRCLE THE MED FORUM

Sustainable Tourism – Overtourism – Cultivating a Resilient Mediterranean Ecosystem

By George Vernicos: Secretary General of SETE, President of INSETE

4 June 2025

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed panelists,

Thank you for the opportunity to join today’s discussion on sustainable tourism practices, a topic of great urgency and relevance for countries like Greece. While sustainability in tourism covers a broad range of issues — from environmental stewardship to community engagement — my focus today will be on one of its most visible and pressing challenges: overtourism.

Before delving into this issue, I would like to briefly highlight some important points regarding European tourism and the critical role of sustainability in the Mediterranean region.

Europe, the world largest destination region, saw 747 million international arrivals in 2024 (1% above 2019 and 5% over 2023), supported by strong intraregional demand.  Southern/Mediterranean Europe is estimated to have received 340 million annual visitors.  To this number we must add another 50 million tourist arrivals of other Mediterranean countries of North Africa, mainly from Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.  Tourism contributes 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.  The Mediterranean region, warming 20% faster than the global average, faces intensified heatwaves, prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, affecting its tourism-dependent economies.

The Mediterranean region, our home with its rich history and blend of cultures, is considered one of the top biodiversity spots in the world. It comprises a vast set of coastal and marine ecosystems that deliver valuable benefits to its coastal inhabitants. The region has long been occupied and marine and coastal resources have traditionally supported coastal populations and human uses. Today, a third of total Mediterranean riparian countries’ population inhabits coastal areas.

The growing awareness in relation to the environmental degradation of Mediterranean Sea wealth highlights the need for a sustainable approach. To this end, governance bodies established over the recent decades have defined tools and mechanisms to achieve a more sustainable development and the concept of “Blue Economy” has emerged to foster the shift towards a new, ocean (marine)-based sustainable economy. The challenges affecting the Mediterranean Sea call for shared integrated responses and improved governance, which are particularly important when considering the ever-increasing demands for natural resources and pressures on the marine environment as well as the continued need for sustainable growth and jobs in marine and maritime sectors and regions.

Sustainable tourism, essential part of the blue economy, is crucial for promoting conservation and sustainable use of marine environments and species, generating income for local communities as well as maintaining and respecting local cultures, traditions, and heritage. Further to the above, sustainable tourism can also be used as a tool to support coastal and biodiversity conservation, take into account the potential impact of climate change and adopt and implement adequate disaster risk reduction policies and practices.

Now regarding Greece, tourism is vital to our economy.  It contributes over 30% to Greece’s GDP, supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, and is a pillar of regional development, especially in island and rural areas. For many communities, tourism is not just an economic activity — it is their main lifeline.

However, in recent years, we have increasingly heard the term “overtourism” in public discourse. Destinations like Santorini and Mykonos have become symbolic of this issue. But the key question is: does Greece really have a general problem with overtourism — or do we need a more nuanced view?

To answer this, we must move beyond simplistic metrics like total tourist arrivals. Instead, we should adopt a more comprehensive framework, using other key indicators that capture both the scale and impact of tourism at a local level.

The indicators allow us to move from anecdote to analysis. When we do, the findings are striking.

For example, data shows that 57% of Greece has no tourism development at all. Only about 5% of the country’s land area falls under zones with high tourism concentration , according to the National Spatial Tourism Plan (EΧΠΤ).

Furthermore, out of 996 municipal units, just 18 are classified as Zone A — high-tourism pressure zones. The vast majority of Greece remains under-visited or developing.

This tells us something important: Greece does not suffer from widespread overtourism. What we are facing is concentrated overtourism — both spatially and seasonally.

Spatially, the problem is highly localized. A few high-profile sites experience excessive visitor pressure, while vast areas remain largely untapped.
Temporally, the issue is acute in the summer months. Three out of four quarters in the year show significant capacity for growth, particularly in the shoulder and off-seasons.

What does this mean for policy and action?

It means we don’t need to reduce tourism, but we do need to manage it better — both in space and in time.

A good example of an innovative approach to visitor management comes from the Acropolis. Slot-based ticketing has been implemented, limiting the number of visitors per time period. This reduces congestion, protects heritage, and improves the visitor experience — all without reducing overall visitation. It’s a practical, technology-enabled solution that can be scaled to other high-pressure sites in Greece and beyond.But we must go further.

We need:

• Integrated destination management plans that include resident feedback
• Infrastructure investments in transport, water, and waste systems
• Support for underdeveloped regions to attract visitors year-round
• Diversification of tourism offerings — including agritourism, wellness, cultural routes, and nature-based experiences to name a few.
• And most importantly, data-driven governance using real-time indicators

The INSETE study “Greek Tourism 2030 || Action Plans” outlines a path forward. Its goals include a +6% increase in market share for underdeveloped regions and an 8-9% increase in off-season tourism share. These are not just numbers — they are strategies for sustainable, inclusive growth.

Overtourism is not a universal Greek reality — it is a localized management challenge. Rather than restricting tourism, we must redistribute it more wisely and rethink how we design our tourism systems.

Last bit lot least, a major step aligned with SETE’s broader sustainability goals is the launch of METRON — a comprehensive program designed to measure, guide, and improve sustainable tourism practices across Greece. The name Metron, of ancient Greek origin, reflects the classical values of balance, proportion, and rationality, principles that lie at the heart of responsible development. In this spirit, METRON is much more than a data project — it is a self-regulation initiative grounded in voluntary commitment.

METRON enables tourism businesses to take ownership of sustainability by combining self-assessment, goal-setting, monitoring, training, auditing, compliance checks, and third-party verification. It’s an evolving cycle of learning and improvement, not just a one-time report. The platform tracks indicators across economic, social, and environmental pillars.

METRON reflects a new era in Greek tourism: one where growth is not only measured in arrivals or revenue, but in resilience, equity, and quality of life for both visitors and residents.

Greece can lead by example as a case study in smart tourism transformation.

Thank you.