Topic analysis

‘Athens cannot operate as a giant hotel’: mayor vows to rescue capital from overtourism

Athens mayor Haris Doukas is pushing for a full ban on new tourism-related development including short-term rentals, hotels, and serviced apartments in the historic Plaka district, plus a potential freeze on new hotel construction, to address overtourism that has displaced local residents, driven up housing costs, and strained city infrastructure after a record 8 million visitors in 2025. Doukas received unexpected support from the head of Athens' hoteliers association who endorsed a hotel construction cap, citing similar overtourism mitigation policies already in place in Barcelona.