Greece introduces new 20 euro cruise tax for passengers stopping at holiday islands

As of Monday, July 21, the Greek government has added a 'sustainable tourism fee' on all cruise ship passengers disembarking on island ports. This fresh tax aims to rein in overtourism during the summer months and aid struggling infrastructure in holiday hotspots like Mykonos and Santorini.

Labelled 'the cruise fee' according to Euro News, the cost can range from €5 to as high as €20 for each passenger stepping off the ship. Plans are for the fees to hit high points during the summer rush from June 1 to September 30. Each island will have a different cost throughout the year.

More popular spots like Mykonos and Santorini will carry the highest fee at €20 during peak season in summer, while other ports will cost €5 per passenger. In the shoulder seasons, in October, April and May, the tax will dip slightly to €12 per passenger disembarking in Santorini and Mykonos.

During this period, the tax charge for all other ports will be reduced to €3. In the winter months, from November to March, the fee will drop again to €4 for Mykonos and Santorini, while all other ports will be just €1 per passenger.

The charge is applied per cruise passenger and per port where they disembark. Cruise companies or agents will be responsible for paying the cruise tax.

If the new tax isn't settled, port authorities have the power to ban cruise ships from visiting Greek islands and stop tourists from disembarking. It's likely that cruise lines will pass on the cost of this new tax to passengers.

MSC Cruises has issued a statement explaining that the fee will be added directly to passengers' shipboard accounts the night before visiting a Greek island port.

Passengers who choose to stay on board, and therefore won't incur the extra tax, will have the expense automatically removed from their account within 24 hours.

It's important to note that this is a port fee, so in an emergency situation, for example if you disembark but don't make it back to the ship in time or the ship gets stuck in port, you only need to pay the fee once.

It is not charged on a daily rate. Similarly, if the ship is docked overnight and you disembark on both days, you will only be charged once for the port.

If you're planning to dodge the cruise tax by staying on land, you might not be in luck. The Greek Parliament has also passed a Bill increasing daily taxes on holiday lets.

From April to October, the previous tax of €1.5 will jump up to €8. During the winter and off-season months, the previous €0.5 charge is being raised to €2.

In total, the Parliament hopes that these tax increases will generate an extra €400million annually to support popular tourist destinations. The idea of a cruise tax was first suggested in June, following reports that as many as eight ships were docking at Mykonos daily, bringing with them 20,000 passengers.

This is a significant influx considering the island's permanent population is only 12,000. Similarly, Santorini often found itself overwhelmed by tourists, with nearly 17,000 arriving on certain days, exceeding the island's resident population by 2,000.

The initial proposals also included a limit on the number of cruise ships visiting these islands, which are struggling with overtourism, but this did not make it into the final Bill. According to Travel Gossip, Mexico is also reportedly planning to introduce a similar cruise tax on passengers from 2026.