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

Previously officials welcomed the throng of tourists but the current mayor says Athens risks ‘over-saturation’. Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

In the heart of ancient Athens, on narrow streets and around archaeological sites, visitor groups appear to be everywhere, snaking their way behind tour guides.

At other times, officials would have welcomed such scenes. But for Haris Doukas, the socialist mayor who is determined to reclaim the capital’s congested city centre for its citizens, the start of the tourist season leaves much of its historic heart at risk of “over-saturation.” Entire neighbourhoods, he believes, are in danger of losing their authenticity because of uncontrolled tourist development.