“Athens is becoming a giant hotel. We can’t go on like this” It is with these words that Mayor Haris Doukas in an interview with Guardian has sparked the debate on overtourism in the Greek capital. Elected with the promise of making the city greener and more livable, Doukas also claims the results on the urban front: almost 4 thousand trees planted, new parks, gardens, play areas and cycle paths.
But the transformation is not enough to compensate for the explosion in tourist flows. With around 8 million visitors a year compared to only 700 thousand residents, Athens finds itself in a condition that the mayor defines as increasingly difficult to sustain, especially in historic districts such as Plaka, where attendance has doubled.
“We must not become Barcelona”: the plan to slow down growth
Doukas does not mince words even in international comparisons: “We must not become Barcelona“, he says, referring to European cities already forced to take drastic measures. The Municipality is in fact considering freezing new hotel licenses, as well as further limits on short-term rentals already blocked in some areas of the centre.
The mayor also highlights a key political principle:
We need to see how much tourist load we can really bear and where. Cities must also have a say in their own development.
A position that opens up conflict with part of the tourism sector, which continues to record constant growth in accommodation capacity.
Saturated neighborhoods and risk of loss of identity
According to industry data, around 68,900 hotel beds are available in the Attica area, of which over 35 thousand in the center of Athens alone. Numbers which, according to operators, indicate strong pressure on the urban system. The mayor warns that the risk is not only economic but also cultural: entire neighborhoods could lose their authenticity, turning into spaces dedicated almost exclusively to tourists. A process fueled by the growth of hotels, short-term rental apartments and non-traditional tourist facilities.
Between economic development and urban sustainability
Despite the critical issues, tourism remains a backbone of the Greek economy, with over 12 million international arrivals in 2025. For this reason, the Municipality has launched an Observatory on the impact of tourism, with the aim of planning the future development of the city. “Cities must have the right to decide their own destiny”, reiterates Doukas, summarizing the heart of his battle: finding a balance between economic growth and urban liveability, before tourism ends up irreversibly redesigning the face of the capital.
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