The Impact of Tourism of Greek Ancient Sites

Our plan was to gather information from the local interests invested in these sites. We interviewed local Greek citizens, international tourists, tour guides, and site employees. We also interviewed local business owners surrounding both sites to get their strategies and opinions. Our goal was not to study the philosophical question of the ethical ramifications of tourism on Greece, nor to analyze the industry and culture as a whole, but to investigate site-specific strategies and methodologies in an era where tourism in the country is on a remarkable and uncontrollable rise in the post-pandemic age. The goal was to gain insight into the impacts of tourism on these local sights and economies, yet only to develop our understanding of how these local industries and sites adapt and market themselves to flourish or survive in such a competitive and overbearing industry. 

Findings at the Acropolis (8/9/23):

Interviewing tourists at the acropolis, 70% of all tourists came for the purpose of island vacations, while the remaining 30% came for a mix of the Greek islands as well to visit historical/archeological sites. Out of that remaining 30 percent, only one answered they were solely visiting ancient sites. Interviewing tour guides, 70 percent agreed that the peak of tourism comes in June, with some disagreement on the latter end of the tourist season range, 50 percent agreed on May-September. Tour guides agreed that tourism sees a decline from the peak in August, when locals and tourists alike both go to the Greek islands. There was a clear consensus among tour guides on many questions concerning the impact of tourism and on the tour guides themselves. Tour guides agreed that the pandemic was very rough for tourism and during those years they had to live on savings. A couple of tour guides mentioned that they had no help from their government during that time. All but one tour guide agreed that following the pandemic, there was a subsequent boom in tourism. This is because people were forced to stay home during the pandemic. When asked whether overtourism is a problem, it was a little more divided. Approximately, 60% of tour guides said over-tourism is a serious problem, while 20 percent said it is not a problem, and the remaining 10 percent either thought it’s just a problem on the islands (over-tourism on islands has raised the price of living). Many people expressed their concern for over-tourism on the islands. The locals interviewed mostly agree that tourism is a “necessary evil” but overall think it is a good thing, as Greeks are very proud of their cultural heritage and history. Out of all Greek locals interviewed (policeman, local business owner, street performer, etc.) 84% believe over-tousim is not an issue. Most said July is the hottest season for tourists. It makes sense that locals don’t feel as much that over-tourism is a problem as they are not as directly involved in the industry as the tour guides are, who mostly reported it to be a problem.

Findings at Elefsina (8/12/23)

The archeological site of Elefsina was less crowded than the Acropolis, unsurprisingly, as it is a relatively newer, refurbished site. On the days we were at the site, it averaged 2-3 families outside in the site at once, and 3-4 families in the museum at once. However, this was expected, given the recent opening of the site and museum and due to the lack of people in the town overall. One local businesswoman explained to us that many Greek locals go to the islands in August when we were there. This was also expressed by a couple of locals interviewed in Athens. However, the effects of this were found to be much larger in Elefsina, and this may have contributed to the lack of visitors at the historical site and museum. Another consequence of this is that we observed most stores/small businesses to be closed down when we were walking in neighborhoods surrounding the archeological site. Most of the activity in Elefsina was seen on the waterside strip where the nightlife and restaurants are located. Interestingly, we found that tourists of this archeological site reported being in Greece more for the sites and antiquity as opposed to vacationing on islands. This makes sense as the Elefsina archeological site is far less popular than the other sites. This may require independent research to find out about as opposed to hearing about the site by word of mouth, tour guides books, advertising, etc. Site employees we talked to said they’ve done little to advertise the reopening of the site besides internet marketing. Both site employees and managers claim they’ve received more tourists after Elefsina was named the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2023. With the grand reopening of this historically and culturally important site and museum contributing to this award, it seems the site hopes to draw tourists through the general growing popularity of Elefsina as a whole. Two business owners told us they have seen an increase in business since being named culture capital. They expressed they have not seen prices drastically increase. This reason is largely due to the fact that most customers of stores in Elefsina are locals. Raising prices will cause locals to buy from someplace else. The local economy of Elefsina does not seem to have any regard for tourism, it is for the locals, by the locals. Everyone interviewed at Elefsina agreed over-tourism isn’t a problem there, as it doesn’t have the same crowds as Athens and the Acropolis do.