PAROS, Greece — When Ronit Nesher and her husband moved to Greece a few years ago, they chose Paros as their new home, especially for its quiet, easy-going lifestyle. But now everything has changed.
“As soon as the season starts, it’s filled with big giant sunbeds and giant umbrellas with loud music. It’s terrible. It’s like everything has been invaded and occupied.” Nesher said.
“They want to turn Paros into Ibiza or Mykonos, but we don’t want that. These entrepreneurs only think about money, they don’t care about nature or people. “I don’t think about it,” she said, adding that she almost never goes to the beach anymore.
This summer, Nesher joined the Towel Movement, a group of local residents condemning the private takeover of the island’s public beaches. Some businesses are unlicensed, while others occupy vast stretches of the beach, leaving no room for people who want to use the beach. Sunbeds can cost up to 100 euros (about $107), which can be inconvenient for some people.
“Why should I pay for something that’s supposed to be free?” asked Kostas, a Parian who came to see the changes to the coast of his childhood.
“To access this side of the beach, you have to pay tens of euros. On the other side, you can access the beach for free, but do you know why? The water is filled with stones ” he said angrily.
Ronit Neschel (Romain Chauvet) poses near Ampelas Beach on the Greek island of Paros in August 2023.
Through a Facebook group called “Saving Paros Beaches,” which currently has more than 12,000 members, the movement has organized protests and demonstrated several times in front of sunbathing tourists who don’t necessarily understand what’s going on. I did it.
“I always feel good when I protest for a good cause, whether it’s here in Greece or in Israel,” Nesher said. “I think it’s time for the people’s voice to be heard everywhere. We are our own leaders and we don’t have to follow someone who is corrupt or someone who tries to impose something on us.”
But in a country where tourism accounts for almost a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product, such demonstrations have not sat well with the country’s conservative government, which was re-elected in June this year, and has used protesters to quell the seafront. They claim that no cooperation is necessary. Misdemeanor.
“We will not spare anyone when it comes to respecting the legality of our beaches. There were some who doubted it,” Greek Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hadjidakis declared last month, but the government’s swift and effective This was proven to be wrong through extensive measures.
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A demonstrator holds a Greek railing placard criticizing government inaction regarding overtourism on the Greek island of Paros in August 2023. (Romain Chauvet)
Hundreds of inspections have been carried out on many Greek islands, with irregularities identified and ostensibly addressed, but there are also reports of beaches being reoccupied when inspectors leave the islands. be.
“Access to the beaches was just the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Elias Petrakis, a member of the Paros Towel Movement who also created a map of beaches where illegal activity is reported. he said.
“What we are seeing now on Paros is just the effects of mass tourism and the authorities are not doing anything,” Petrakis said. “With an explosion of construction and lack of infrastructure, we are now being robbed of our beaches. Let’s stop destroying our paradise for profit or we will lose everything. I will lose it.”
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Elias Petrakis takes part in a demonstration against government inaction regarding overtourism on the Greek island of Paros in 2023. (Provided)
mass tourist management
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Ronit Nesher (right) and Ol Kaplan demonstrate against the privatization of beaches on the Greek island of Paros in July 2023. (Provided)
Greece continues to be a popular tourist destination. The country will welcome around 30 million tourists in 2022, with record numbers expected to arrive this year. Even though many Greeks make a living from tourism, the issue of overtourism has become an increasing concern for the population, especially since the debt crisis of 2009-2018.
“Priorities in Greece need to change. The country should focus more on local people and nature. That is why I will protest in support of people’s rights, just as I did when I returned to Israel. ,” said Or Kaplan, another Israeli who currently lives on Paros. He too has seen the effects of overtourism on the island and now decides to only go to places that are far from the hustle and bustle and are not yet known to tourists.
The movement against beach privatization and mass tourism quickly spread from Paros to all of Greece, especially to the islands. Local residents are all complaining about the same thing. Short-term rentals like Airbnb are driving up rents for residents, ferries are flooding certain islands with tourists, and illegal construction is increasing, threatening the environment.
While the two places are not exactly the same, Kaplan believes Greece may have something to learn from Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has introduced fixed prices for sunbeds and some basic items.
“The city of Tel Aviv has put things in place. It’s not perfect, but progress is being made. Whereas here, there is no control at all and the authorities don’t care. It’s sad, but we have lost our paradise. “It’s happening,” Kaplan said.
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To access certain beaches on the Greek island of Paros, you will have to pay hefty fees due to beach privatization, as documented in this August 2023 photo. (Romain Chauvet)
For Yosif Botetsagias, a professor of environmental policy at Aegean University, Greece is at a tipping point.
“Many people saw their islands deserted for the first time in their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and realized that it wasn’t that bad. , during the tourist season, we were told to close our eyes and not ask too many questions because the money is there. But things have changed,” said Botezagias, a native of Corfu, another tourist island. he said. “Of course, we still need this money, but it might be enough.”
Greece has just started tourism regulations for the Acropolis of Athens, with the aim of increasing the number of visitors per day, not only to improve the visitor experience, but also to protect the most visited monument in the country. Quotas are set. While some locals applaud this step, others say it has come too late and that mass tourism will only exacerbate climate change. Greece has had an alarming summer, with devastating fires, a record heat wave and historic flooding.
“This issue will definitely be resolved in 2019.” [municipal] election campaign [in October], But it will take a long time to change everything. Many entrepreneurs are very powerful and have large networks,” Botetsagias said.
Nesher said: “I think this is just the beginning of a movement. We must now decide how we can create a better and more sustainable future for Paros without going down this destructive path.” not.”