The holiday island with the famous blue domed church Oia has been struggling with a strike since the beginning of the week. Image: keystone
In the middle of the holiday season, a walkout by bus drivers brought tourist traffic to a standstill. Cruise ships were unable to dock.
June 23, 2026, 2:07 p.mJune 23, 2026, 2:07 p.m
Dorothea Meadows / t-online
A bus strike led to significant restrictions for tourists on the Greek holiday island of Santorini on Monday. The union of tour operators and bus companies justified the strike with what they saw as the inadequate infrastructure on the popular Cyclades island.
“We are asked to deal with thousands of visitors every day without having the minimum necessary infrastructure,” the union said, according to local media. With around 3.4 million guests per year, Santorini is one of the most visited holiday destinations in Greece. However, only around 15,500 residents live on the island.
The protest was particularly triggered by a port authority regulation that was introduced in March. Accordingly, 70 percent of cruise ships have to call at the port of Ormos Fira below the island’s capital Fira. Most passengers are transported from there to the island’s attractions by bus. The remaining 30 percent of ships use the Athinios ferry port.
There are no clear arrival times for cruise ships
According to the union, however, there are no clear guidelines for the arrival times of cruise ships. This would mean that visitor flows would be concentrated at certain times of the day. In addition, there is a lack of parking spaces and functioning traffic planning in Fira. This regularly leads to traffic jams and problems in managing tourist flows. The employees criticized the situation, which also damaged the island’s reputation.
The local government showed little understanding for the strike. The decision to stop work “in the middle of the holiday season” was “incomprehensible,” it said in a statement. Companies, visitors, employees and the island’s residents suffer.
Only 8,000 cruise passengers allowed per day
Several cruise ships responded to the protests. The “Sinfonia” with 2,126 passengers and the “Norwegian Pearl” with 2,504 guests had canceled their planned shore leave. The “Celebrity Ascent” with around 3,200 passengers postponed its stay until today, Tuesday.
Santorini is known worldwide for its whitewashed houses, spectacular sunsets and landscape shaped by a volcanic eruption. However, mass tourism has been causing problems for years. In addition to traffic congestion, the authorities complain about water shortages during high season and large amounts of garbage.
In order to limit the burden, the number of cruise passengers going ashore every day has already been limited to 8,000. In addition, Greece has been charging a tax of 20 euros per cruise guest on Santorini since last year.
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