Beach on a budget: Greeks settle for day trips, priced out of iconic destinations

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PORTO RAFTI, Greece (AP) — Bus coupon in hand, Diamantoula Vassiliou headed for the sea, determined to make the most of her brief beach excursion.

The Athens resident was among thousands who took a four-hour tour this month to Avlaki Beach, one hour north of Greece's capital, many hauling plastic coolers and homemade lunches — the accoutrements of summer holidays in leaner times.

“We come here because there’s no money,” said Vassiliou, for whom day trips have replaced weeklong vacations for four years.

Greece’s tourism industry is booming and the crystalline waters along its vast, rugged coast have transformed the nation into a source of envy-inducing Instagram posts. Foreign arrivals this year are expected to be up to four times the country’s population of 10 million, according to industry estimates, matching 2024 data. But many Greeks are watching from the sidelines — the result of both surging prices and slow wage growth.

According to European Union data, almost half of Greeks were unable to afford a one-week holiday last year, the second-highest rate in the bloc after Romania. This compares with about one in three for Italy and one in five for France and represents only a modest improvement from 2019, the year after Greece’s crippling financial crisis ended.

Luxury resorts have crowded out the budget guesthouses and campsites that once made pricey destinations like Santorini, Mykonos and Paros accessible to Greek families.

Tourism is the bedrock of Greece’s economy, directly supplying around 12% of the country’s output. But as businesses increasingly cater to foreign visitors, many no longer close during the summer, preventing local workers from taking a break.

Among them is Iosif Solanakis, who on a windless August afternoon waited at the foot of Athens' Acropolis for customers to take a tour on his electric buggy.

“The money I make in the summer has to keep me going in the months when there isn’t much work," he said, laughing. “I only get to sample the sea whenever I can grab a few hours off.”

Concern about “holiday poverty,” a term coined by labor unions, is spreading across Europe as rising costs sour summer plans.

Beachgoers in Italy have taken to social media to complain about soaring prices for a standard umbrella and two lounge chairs, the centerpiece of an Italian seaside holiday. A spot with a sun lounger at popular beaches along the Italian Riviera can run up to 80 euros ($93) a day, while luxury spots charge several hundred.

In Greece, many are packing their own umbrellas, carrying plastic containers of homemade food — in scenes reminiscent of the 1980s — and relying on buses instead of ferries or flights.

A six-day island trip for a family of four costs some 3,500 euros ($4,070) in a country where the average monthly income barely tops 1,000 euros ($1,160), according to Giorgos Lehouritis, head of Greece’s Consumer Protection Institute. Rising rent and utility costs consume almost all of that.

“You have to live on the rest — and that’s poverty," Lehouritis said.

Nikos Margaritis, a retiree, said on his way to Avlaki that holiday accommodation is out of reach on his tight budget.

“Someone who has worked 35 or 40 years should receive more support,” he said. “I have worked for 42 years. Do I deserve something better? I do.” ___ AP writer Colleen Barry contributed from Milan.