Athens Mayor warns of tourism pressure and housing shortage

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has warned of growing tourism pressure, housing shortages, and a revenue gap in the Greek capital. Speaking at a recent conference, Doukas noted that while visitor numbers in central Athens were around 1.5-2 million when his administration took office, the figure is projected to approach 10 million in 2026. He stressed that the municipality receives only about 0.40 euros per visitor, which is insufficient to maintain local services and infrastructure, such as daily cleaning operations carried out seven to eight times a day.

Addressing the housing crisis, the mayor highlighted a municipal study showing approximately 40,000 unused homes in Athens, including about 20,000 without electricity connections. To protect the residential character of the city and curb overtourism, the municipality utilized a carrying-capacity study to prompt government restrictions on new short-term rental registrations in three central municipal districts. Doukas also emphasized the need to prevent additional hotels and entertainment venues from taking over historic residential neighborhoods like Plaka.