There was a time when spotting a British tourist on Santorini was as certain as sunburn in August. Their presence was as reliable as overpriced frappés. Now, in what can only be described as the world’s least glamorous stampede, British tourists (and others) are leaving the Greek island in numbers last seen at a fire drill, while the rest never showed up at all.
Tourism across Santorini has dropped for the first time since the pandemic, this time courtesy of invisible tremors rather than invisible pathogens. The Foreign Office, ever a fount of reassurance, announced: “The area around the Cycladic islands of Santorini (Thira), Anafi, Ios and Amorgos experienced increased earthquake activity in early 2025. This increase has since subsided and the tourist season is expected to continue as usual. There is a risk of earthquakes and earth tremors in Greece.” Risk, as always, is a relative term. Some run marathons for the thrill. Others run from Santorini.
According to Yiannis Paraschis, president of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE), airline seats to Santorini are withering away faster than a British complexion under the Greek sun. “In Santorini, available airline seats are down 26% from the beginning of the year to date. But the indications we have in terms of supply of seats are down in the range of 7%-8% for the summer, so we expect a result with losses of 10%-15%,” he stated, making optimism look like a Greek tragedy.
From Santorini Sands to Empty Stands
The real gut punch, however, comes from Antonis Pagoni, president of the local hoteliers’ association. He paints a picture worthy of a disaster flick. “The president of SETE talked about airport arrivals… but I will unfortunately say that overall arrivals will be down about 20%-25%. Right now we are moving at -25% to -30%,” he confessed, presumably while clutching the guestbook with trembling hands for comfort. If these numbers hold, the island that usually reels in over 3 million visitors per year could see itself demoted to a cruise ship pit stop or, worse, a honeymoon destination only for couples who love empty streets and existential dread.
Pagoni adds, as if anyone needed more bad news, “It’s a huge reduction in a destination like Santorini that attracts more than 3 million visitors. You know, it’s 10% of Greek tourism. We are not sure if Greece can afford to lose that revenue.” British tourists, whose love for feta and Instagram sunsets once filled Greek coffers, now seem to be more afraid of the ground moving under their feet than of missing out on that perfect blue-and-white selfie.
In short, what was once a sun-kissed, cash-lined magnet for British holidaymakers has started to look like one of those deserted ruins everyone is rushing to avoid. If the olives taste a bit saltier this season, it’s probably the tears of a thousand Greek hoteliers staring at empty rooms.
