How Many Tourists Visit Santorini Each Year?

As Santorini continues to shake with earthquakes, one big concern is what these quakes will mean for the island’s tourist season.

So just how many tourists visit Santorini each year?

An estimated 3.4 million tourists visit Santorini annually for its breathtaking caldera views and iconic whitewashed villages.

According to the latest 2024 data, Santorini experienced a 3.6% increase in air passenger traffic during the first eight months of the year, reaching 2,055,372 travelers. Of these, 1,146,696 were international tourists, many who come on their honeymoon to take romantic pictures over Imerovigli’s blue rooftops and on the shores of Vlichada Beach.

But it’s not just air arrivals. A major contributor to Santorini’s booming tourism is the cruise industry. In 2023 alone, the island welcomed 800 cruise ships, bringing nearly 1.3 million passengers. On peak days, as many as 17,000 cruise visitors disembark, flooding the narrow streets of Fira and Oia. The Old Port of Fira alone sees around 2 million visitors annually, with 1.5 million cable car boardings recorded. Athinios Port, another major gateway, handles approximately 1.5 million visitors each year.

Nearly two-thirds of Greece’s cruise tourism is concentrated in just three destinations—Piraeus, Mykonos, and Santorini. In fact, National Geographic Traveller has ranked Santorini among the top 25 islands to explore by cruise in 2025.

Despite the economic benefits, the sheer volume of tourists has sparked growing concerns among the island’s 20,000 permanent residents. The strain on infrastructure, local resources, and the natural environment has led to repeated calls for action.

Locals complain that they can’t afford to live on the island, and that Airbnb has pushed housing prices to mind-bogglingly inaccessible levels.

Over the past two decades, grape production—a hallmark of Santorini’s winemaking tradition—has plummeted by nearly 50%, declining at an average rate of 2.7% per year, according to the Santorini Wine Producers Association.

A 2019 EU transport committee report warned that Santorini’s inability to manage rising tourist numbers threatens the local community, environment, and the island’s future as a destination.

Santorini’s mayor, Nikos Zorzos, has proposed capping daily cruise arrivals to 8,000 passengers, a measure endorsed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and set to be implemented this year. Meanwhile, the Greek Tourism Ministry has introduced a new cruise passenger levy, effective from June 1 to September 30. Under this scheme, passengers disembarking at Santorini and Mykonos will be charged €20 per person, while those arriving at other Greek ports will pay €5.

Even with the push for regulation, there’s no denying that Santorini’s economy is deeply tied to tourism. In August 2024 alone, visitor revenue reached €69.4 million. Many locals depend on tourism for their livelihoods.

All of this has sharpened concerns about recent seismic activities affecting the tourism season on Santorini and nearby islands. The cruise ship ‘VIKING STAR’ which was anticipated to “open” this season on the island on February 10, is changing course for the port of Chania in Crete instead of the Caldera.