Sharp drop in bookings. Tourists are turning away from this island

Santorini is not the only Greek island that needs to work hard to win back the interest of foreign guests. We recently wrote about the first time bookings there have fallen since the pandemic following the earthquakes.

Less interest in the famous island

A drop in guest numbers has also been seen on Mykonos. Analysis of bookings made by Ferryscanner between January 1 and May 31, 2025 shows that bookings on both islands are down compared to the same period in 2024.

Bookings on the Cyclades island of Mykonos were down 33 percent, while Santorini saw a 50 percent drop. While concerns about earthquakes may be understandable, other factors may have a significant impact on planning a vacation to Mykonos, such as overcrowding and high prices.

Mykonos. Will it be crowded this summer?

“This is crazy. Mykonos, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Christina, a traveler from London, was outraged a year ago. According to her, the prices on the island were mind-boggling , and some bars refused to serve her because it wouldn’t be profitable for them to take up a table with just one person.

Booking data shows that Americans have recently shifted their focus to Greek destinations such as Aegina, Skopelos, where the hit movie “Mamma Mia” was filmed , Alonissos and Poros (not to be confused with Paros), which have all seen bookings increase by more than 200 percent. To counteract the shift, tour operators are slashing prices on Santorini and Mykonos by as much as 45 percent during the high season.

The greekcitytimes.com portal even puts forward the thesis that this could be a sign of change and a new era in tourism – a search for authentic experiences and a desire to get to know local life. It remains to be hoped that the next undiscovered pearls will retain their true character, and both sides – residents and tourists will be happy with the change in trends.