Mass Tourism & the Mykonos Mafia: The Greek Islands under threat

More than three million tourists flock to Greece every year. But this mass tourism comes at a heavy price. On the island of Mykonos, where 40% of construction is believed to be illegal, a landowner was recently murdered in a suspected mafia killing, 

“There are no more open spaces. They were destroyed by the thieves. I am ashamed to be a Santorinian today,” cries one old man. Every day thousands of people queue for hours to take the same pictures for instagram. Despite being one of the driest islands in Greece, the island also boasts over 1,000 swimming pools.  Even extremely earthquake- and landslide-prone cliffs are completely built up.  

On the neighbouring island of Mykonos, criminal structures are omnipresent. Here, the minimum consumption per table in some exclusive beach clubs is as much as 10,000 euros a night. With no much money at stake, nobody dares to take action. Even some of the posh beach clubs operate without a proper license. The local mayor claims that the central government in Athens is responsible for tearing down illegal buildings but Athens claims that it’s the island authorities’ responsibility. “The big money comes from foreign investors,” explains local investigator, Tasos Telloglu. “They pay locals to enforce their interests on Mykonos…. and take advantage of the fact that the local institutions are very weak.” Now, property deals over the remaining valuable land have escalated into mafia-style murders.

But not all Greek islands are struggling with mass tourism. The island of Astypalea lies at the very edge of the Cyclades and has a reputation for doing many things differently and right when it comes to tourism.   They try to preserve traditions and focus on sustainable development.