AirBnB style letting needs to be better regulated
Almost any time you read about over-tourism, it’s the ultimate root cause
With flights becoming significantly more expensive due to fuel prices and kerosene shortages that problem will probably sort itself at least for this summer. I suspect in a few weeks we will hear from the same person complaints about the tourism industry in distress.
And they’re both legitimate issues for Athens. On the one hand the overtourism makes living in Athens unaffordable for Athenians but on the other hand a significant number of Athenians rely on the tourism industry for their livelihoods.
Athens center has almost no more inhabitants or locals living there. It’s just tourists, bars, shitty street food, so called boutique hotels, and BnBs wherever you look. Most of them are recognizable by the number locks on the main door. Some are private, some are public. I do remember when the center had old locals living there, many years ago. You could rent a flat for fair money. You could even imagine studying or living there. Now it’s just BnB squatters all over the place.
