When you think of Santorini, images of crowded whitewashed streets and hordes of holidaymakers jostling to get the perfect sunset snap usually come to mind.
But as some warn that the picture-perfect island is being swamped, other locals are claiming that the Greek holiday hotspot is struggling to bring in enough tourists.
‘The truth is that the island is empty. Right now is like never before, it’s the worst season ever,’ said Gianluca Chimenti, a local tour operator who has lived in Santorini for 18 years.
Put off by videos of queues of cruise ship passengers and visitors shuffling through the streets in the hot sun, would-be tourists are opting to avoid staying on the island for long periods, he claimed.
He told CNN travel: ‘The problem is that the social media are showing something completely different from what is the reality.’
Video shared by one tourist in late July shows the streets of Oia all but deserted
The footage of Oia was seemingly taken before an influx of visitors arrived
Shocking videos show the crowded streets in Santorini with hordes of tourists packed onto the tiny island
TikTok and Instagram are awash with videos of people packed into the narrow streets of the island’s most popular spots – the capital Fira and the village of Oia.
But despite July and August being high season on the island, town centres are reportedly dead in many areas after 9pm.
Many of those who are flocking to the island’s main attractions are cruise ship passengers, with Santorini a key stop on Greek cruises’ itineraries.
When the crowds are gone, Chimenti says, ‘the hotels right now are more or less under 30 per cent of a normal season.’
Video shared by one tourist in late July appears to show the streets of Oia all but deserted – with the footage seemingly taken before an influx of visitors arrived.
While they are empty in this footage, the famous cliff-top viewing spot in the picturesque village sees tourists queuing up for 20 minutes or more as they hope to snap the perfect Instagram shot.
Separate footage shared by a tour guide shows hundreds of passengers lining up with suitcases to get on a ship off the volcanic island.
Hundreds of tourists perch on the steep hills in Santorini that watch and photograph the famed sunset on July 25, 2024
Hundreds of tourists gather at the village of Oia, Santorini, to watch the sunset, on July 20
Late into the 20th century, Santorini was a sleepy idyll where most locals profited more off agriculture than tourism.
Visitor numbers grew from the 1960s as it gained a reputation for its stunning views and iconic architecture – but development on the island failed to keep pace.
‘Overtourism doesn’t exist. What I see is a lack of structures,’ Chimenti said.
Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, around 3.4 million, or one in 10, went to the island of just 15,500 residents.
Some 17,000 tourists are expected to arrive each day in the peak holiday season, according to councillor Panos Kavallaris.
Mr Kavallaris previously urged residents in a since-deleted Facebook post to stay at home and avoid the 17,000 tourists he said authorities expect to arrive on the island per day.
‘Another difficult day for our city and island is ahead with the arrival of 17,000 visitors from cruise ships. We ask for your attention: limit your movements as much as possible,’ the councillor said, but the post quickly caused outrage among locals.
Residents criticised the councillor’s request, with one commenting on social media: ‘[He] officially asks locals to lock themselves at home, so that tourists can wander around free. Marvelous.’
Huge crowds are drawn to the island each year, straining life for Santorini’s locals
Shocking images from the picturesque island show masses of tourists queuing on narrow walkways along white buildings with the famous sea-blue domes for the best holiday shots
Tourists leave after viewing Santorini’s sunset from the Castle of Oia, on Santorini, Greece
Chimenti suggested that cruise operators should organise tours to other parts of the island and coordinate others so people are not all piling into the same areas at the same time.
Meanwhile holidaymakers are starting to turn to quieter – but equally picturesque – parts of the island to ensure their holiday is memorable for the views rather than the crowds.
Katie Haslam from Rochdale said that she and her husband decided to have their honeymoon away from Fira, which they had heard was ‘really, really busy’.
Instead, they stayed in a clifftop village a few kilometres out, which she told CNN was ‘amazing, lovely and quiet.’
