Santorini is a popular choice for Britons wanting a cheap break away to a beautiful island.
However, the Greek destination is struggling to cope with the influx of travellers it has welcomed over the years.
This year alone, nearly two million tourists are set to visit it, says figures reported from The Guardian.
Yet this is also putting pressure on the island itself.
The other side of the idyllic holiday destination is the local community, who are still suffering from the fallout of the economic crisis.
Having hit Greece hard, 23 per cent of its citizens are unemployed and struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis.
Whilst the World Travel & Tourism Council predict that tourism could boost the economy by 6.9 per cent, which in turn would lift employment by 6.3 per cent, it is still a problem that is ever increasing.
It isn’t just the crowded nature of the island that is worrying.
The huge influx of tourists means the island’s infrastructure and resources are reaching breaking point.
A whopping 141 hotels are to stay open this winter, prolonging the season when just 35 were open during the down season in 2013.
Traffic jams are filling up the tiny island’s roads with tourists taking to the streets to explore the beautiful island, and water consumption is reportedly up by 46 per cent, meaning the island struggles to keep up with the costs needed to keep it running smoothly.
Santorini’s mayor Nikos Zorzos has previously capped visitors to the island in an attempt to save it, which saw cruise passenger numbers decrease from 18,000 to just 8,000.
He told The Guardian: “We have reached saturation point. The pressure is too much.
“Santorini has developed the problems of a city. We need desperately to increase supplies but that requires studies, which in turn require technicians and that we cannot afford.”
