Tourism has hijacked Santorini’s wine production as agricultural land becomes exorbitant while visitor numbers continue to climb

“Tourism destroys the vineyards,” wine producer Matthew Argyros said in an interview. “I raise a red flag for the island.” His family winery, set up in 1903, produces from about a quarter of the island’s vineyards, and he warns that agricultural land prices have rocketed in the area as developers clamor for space to build more holiday lets.

Production of Santorini grapes has dropped almost 50% in the last 20 years, with an average 2.7% drop per year, according to data collected by the Association of Winemakers of Santorini. The production, according to the island’s winemakers, is in danger of dropping to zero by 2041 if there’s no intervention of some form. Water shortages are making it harder to grow the vines, while they’ve lost most of their workers to the tourism industry through the years, Argyros said.

From her balcony in the hilltop village of Pyrgos, Antonia Noussia could once see grapes growing all the way to the coast. Now, she says, there are “only small patches of vineyards left.” 

“You can see people carrying sheets, breakfast supplies, and it doesn’t feel like an inhabited village,” said Noussia, an associate professor of urban design and planning at London South Bank University, who lives half the year on the island where she spent all her summers growing up. When the tourists disappear over winter, locals rely on a single small grocery shop.

Tourism has accelerated throughout Europe since the pandemic, worsening supply problems, traffic-choked streets and economic imbalances in several hotspots such as Santorini. Some places are attempting to ease the pressure with visitor fees, caps and even temporary bans — with limited signs of success, as a record-breaking summer gets underway. 

“It’s going to be a very bad year for Santorini,” according to Mayor Nikos Zorzos. The island can afford “not one single bed more” for accommodation, he added — stressing that this would still be the case even if infrastructure is improved to help the island cope with higher numbers. The municipality is unable to impose a construction ban, so he wants the Athens government to act. 

Santorini is expecting 3.4 million tourists this summer, despite local authorities asking for limits since 2012, Zorzos said. 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis…