Athens Mayor Implements Measures to Combat Overtourism and Preserve City Center
Athens is experiencing a significant increase in tourism, with 34 million passengers passing through its international airport in 2025, marking a 33% increase from pre-COVID levels. Mayor Haris Doukas is taking steps to address the resulting 'tourism suffocation' in the city center. Doukas plans to implement a ban on new business activities related to tourism in the historic center, including a cap on hotel beds and restrictions on short-term rentals. These measures aim to prevent the displacement of local residents and the distortion of the real estate market, which have been issues in other cities like Barcelona. The mayor's initiatives also include environmental efforts, such as planting trees and upgrading the city's infrastructure to better accommodate the influx of visitors. 
