A popular Greek island destination is acting fast to save the upcoming tourist season as recent seismic activity has threatened the industry.

tourism is down 20 per cent for the summer 2025 season and now the government is in a race to recover what they can, including ensuring cruises start as planned, following a number of recent earthquakes on the island.

The island has experienced several with some measuring up to 5.3 in magnitude. In fact, The Interdisciplinary Committee for Risk and Crisis Management at the University of Athens reported more than 20,000 earthquakes of magnitude one or higher between January 26 and February 22, 2025.

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While the earthquakes did not cause major damage to the island, the Greek government is now focused on ensuring the cruise season opens as scheduled by late March and that the upcoming April and May season isn't lost out on for hoteliers.

In the coming weeks, the Greek government is expected to finalise decisions regarding tax, the terms and conditions for ship arrivals and the protective measures that will apply to the scenic island. Local Santorini stakeholders have also submitted their proposals to the government and now are awaiting official inter-ministerial decisions.

While some industry figures have proposed the cruise season will start as planned on March 22, Greek authorities are expressing that for safety reasons ships should not dock at the main Fira port, where the cable car leading up to Fira is located. Authorities have decided that the cable car will not be operational for at least the next three months as the government continues to observe seismic activity.

Instead, stakeholders have proposed that the cruise ships should dock at Athinios Port and have suggested a temporary pier should be constructed at Monolithos to allow alternative access, reports Passengers would then be transported to shore via tenders, but dredging work would be required to make sure the navigation would be safe.

Currently no cruise cancellations have been reported and the Tourism Ministry has emphasised that the island’s reopening will occur with all necessary safety measures in place.

It also remains unclear what will happen with the cruise tax, which was suspended due to the seismic activity on the island. Recent government discussions suggest the tax may still be introduced as infrastructure projects on the island need funding.

Regarding Antonis Pagonis, president of the Santorini Hoteliers’ Association, reported from the ITB Berlin trade fair that bookings have slumped, with more than a 20 per cent reduction in bookings compared to the same period in 2024. April and May have seen the most significant drop.

The Hoteliers' Association and the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) are now desperately trying to promote the destination, to limit the reduction in overall bookings. Whilst natural conditions have stabilised, Mr Pagonis remains cautiously optimistic.