Over-tourism in Santorini has recently become a major topic on the major television networks abroad.

The influx of people to the emblematic island of the Cyclades is unprecedented this summer, making the situation unbearable for locals and visitors, as the infrastructure is outdated and cannot withstand the load.

Thousands of visitors from all over the world flood the straits of Santorini even for just a few hours.

“The arrival of large numbers of people places a heavy burden on local infrastructure. Our roads are not designed for so many thousands of people, nor are our narrow cobbled streets designed for it“, describes Costas Sakavaras, tourist guide.

About 3.5 million tourists visited Santorini last year, a disproportionately large number compared to the island’s 20,000 inhabitants, and unsustainable for pedestrian traffic on the island.

The Greek Prime Minister stated that he is considering measures to limit the number of visitors by cruise ships.

At the same time, the mayor of the island proposes a ceiling of 8 thousand visitors per day from the current 17,000.

In some areas, locals are tired and can no longer welcome the thousands of tourists as hyper-tourism drives permanent residents out of their homes, he sums up indicatively the CNN report.

In addition, the international Reuters agency graphically captures the marginal state of the island.

A sign nailed to a wall, in an alley in Oia, says “Respect. It’s your vacation, it’s our home.”

For many of the permanent residents, the once idyllic island has been ruined by mass tourism.

“It is a fact that our standard of living has fallen, it is as simple as that. When you increase the number of visitors 20 times… We are on a small island.”, says Georgios Damigos, Hotel Owner.

“What kind of infrastructure do you need to impose on this small island so that it can cope with a 30-fold increase in tourists, without creating a “monster”?”, he wonders.

Santorini tests its endurance every summer. Every alley is suffocatingly packed… and when the sun goes down, everyone huddles on some balcony to take a picture.

This overcrowding now also bothers tourists.

“I think that too many people are coming, maybe there should be some rules about the maximum number of visitors per day that Santorini can host, so that every visitor will have a more pleasant experience” estimates a tourist from Portugal while a tourist from England comments “I knew the cruise ships were coming so I was prepared for how crowded it would be, to be honest.”

The pressure on the island’s antiquated infrastructure is creating huge problems. Traffic chaos, and infrastructure such as drainage, water supply, waste collection in the red, as reported by residents and businessmen.

“The current situation we have on the island, unfortunately there is a huge lack of infrastructure and what we shout a lot, all the businessmen and also the residents of the island is that we lack a lot of things, the obvious“, says Alexandros Pelekanos, Vice President of the Santorini Trade Association.

The only hope is the decision from next year to limit the cruise ships that will approach the island every day.