Holidaymakers have been warned that the beautiful Greek island of Santorini, one of the most popular sunshine resorts in Europe, has descended into 'one long toilet line'.
Early Morning Queues
Travel content creator Mambo Italiano took to X to share footage recorded at 7am, showing dozens of tourists queuing into the streets at a popular photo spot. 'Social media trends have turned the world’s most beautiful places into endless bathroom lines at a concert, where everyone waits for hours just to take the same photo to show to people who couldn’t care less,' she ranted. 'Nothing captures the shallow decay of our time better than this.'
The clip was recorded in Oia, Santorini, located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 120 miles from the Greek mainland. The queue wound around several corners to a lookout point offering views of the crystal-blue sea and Santorini's famous blue-domed churches.
Tourist Reactions
One X user exclaimed, 'Oia is overtouristed. One of the worst places I've been. Other parts of Santorini are lovely.' Another agreed: 'There are much better areas on the island. Oia is good for photos and that’s about it.' A third commented, 'People are no longer visiting places to see and enjoy. They want to photograph themselves to post on social media for likes, saying "look at me, I was here and you not". That's the only reason for those long queues.' A fourth added, 'Everything has turned into an influencer's Instagram photo shoot. Beautiful places are ruined by main character syndrome narcissists.'
Overtourism Statistics
According to Greek Trip Planner figures from INSETE and municipal data, approximately 3.4 million visitors reach Santorini each year through air arrivals, cruise ship tenders, and inter-island ferries. This produces a ratio of about 220 tourists per resident annually, or 107.8 tourists per 100 inhabitants at any time during peak season. A 2018 European Commission study placed Santorini beyond measurable limits of standard overtourism indicators.
