mykonos

Police have made 22 further arrests for the violation of regulations on occupying public space on beaches, during raids carried out by the competent authorities on Mykonos, Paros and Rhodes.

Despite projections for record revenue, there are signs visitor satisfaction is ebbing, especially in the saturated and overworked island destinations of Mykonos and Santorini, a European-wide survey shows. Mykonos hotels dropped prices in June and July by 7% compared to last year.

Health and ambulance services on the islands are struggling to respond to increased needs with scarce capabilities in August for yet another summer. 

Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Samos and Chios have just one ambulance operating around the clock and a second operating a few days a month. 

A new system is planned to detect illegal constructions on beaches and prevent their occupation, through the unification of the services tasked with monitoring the coastline, aerial photography and artificial intelligence.

Unlicensed construction and all manner of violations, transgressions and outright real estate-related crimes have historically been the norm rather than the exception in many parts of the country, especially in areas with a lot of tourism.

The Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece has long been a tourist hotspot. However, businesses there now seem to be adopting the kind of pricing policies seen on islands such as Mykonos and Santorini. Would-be beachgoers have to book sun beds days ahead and prices in general are skyrocketing.

The interconnection of cash registers with card terminals (POS) may have been delayed and not be expected until the first months of 2024, but this does not mean that the tax administration is sitting idly by. Extensive cross-checking is under way, as well as spot checks at businesses to verify that the data generated by the POS are identical to the receipts issued by the cash registers.

The issue of corruption linked to the popular holiday island of Mykonos is once again in the spotlight after one of the suspects arrested 10 days after a police chase in the center of Athens has reportedly admitted to his role in the horrific beating of a real estate agent on the Aegean island in September 2020.

Europeans are increasingly choosing to travel to destinations or periods of the year with less crowds, as they seek better services, new experiences and lower prices.

As a result, July and August are apparently showing fewer projected arrivals compared to last year in popular destinations in Greece, such as Mykonos and Santorini.

The popular travel magazine Vagabond, published in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, proposes the islands of the Cyclades to its readers for their holidays this summer in the context of a dynamic promotion program of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) office in Scandinavia.