The debate around tourism in key Greek hot spots has been raging for several years, especially this summer as Santorini now faces the threat of 17,000 tourists descending on the small island in one day.
Authorities are now examining data on economic inequality to see if it can provide an answer to the crisis.
Data on turnover in the accommodation and hospitality sector shows increasing economic inequality between tourist destinations and the rest of the country. Hellenistic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data have shown.
The island of Santoriniwith an area of 29 square miles and a population of just over 15,200, had an accommodation and catering turnover of €743.8m (£633.5m) in 2023, accounting for 3.7 per cent of Greece's total.
Meanwhile, in Mykonosanother major tourist destination with just 10,700 inhabitants in an area of 84 square kilometres, turnover was €504 million (£429 million).
The huge disparities are most apparent when compared to other areas in Greece. For example, the region of Western Macedonia, covering 3,649 square miles and with a population of over 250,000, had a turnover of just €140m (£119m).
Meanwhile, the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is home to over 562,000 people in an area of 14,000 square kilometers, including the much-visited island of Thasosturnover for the same activities was 470 million (£400 million).
Under the Ionian Islands, The accommodation and catering sector generated a turnover of €1.4 billion (£1.19 billion), half of which was generated on the island Corfu alone. Meanwhile, Central Greece, an area more than 5,000 times larger than the Ionian Islands combined, reached just €383m (£326m).
Nearly one-fifth of turnover, 18.3 percent, is generated in the South Aegean region, with Rhodes alone accounting for 6.5 percent of the country's total.
The capital region of Atticaunsurprisingly, had the largest share of turnover, with a whopping 32.5 percent.
Speaking about the disparities, a government official said: “What used to be the development gap between cities and towns has been replaced by gaps between tourist and non-tourist areas,” reported ekathimerini.
It is said that declared income in tourist areas is increasing faster than anywhere else. For example, in the Cyclades islands, incomes rose by 26 percent between 2019 and 2022, despite the pandemic.
According to Ekathimerini, officials are also aware that undeclared income is an important part of the tourism sector.