When Icarus made his escape from the island of Crete with wings made of feathers and wax, he ignored the warning not to fly too close to the sun. Overcome by the thrill of flight, he soared too high, the heat melted the wax, and he fell into the sea and drowned. Icarus’s story is a cautionary tale on the dangers of overambition. It also serves as an effective metaphor for the crossroads Greece’s tourism industry finds itself at today.
Tourism has long been one of Greece’s economic pillars, contributing €21.7bn to the economy in 2024 alone. But after decades of growth, cracks are beginning to show. The country is grappling with overtourism, infrastructure strain, housing shortages, and the escalating impact of the climate crisis – all of which threaten to upend the very charm that draws millions of visitors each year.
