18-05-2025
Mykonos was ruined by the party set – now they've set their sights on another Greek island
I visited Paros for the first time in the late 1980s. Stepping off the rusted ferry into bright sunshine in Paroikia's (then) tiny port felt like arriving in paradise – albeit a backpacker's paradise – and my days there were filled with long lazy meals outside bougainvillea-shaded, family-run fish tavernas in the tiny village of Naoussa, and afternoons at Piso Livadi's traditional kafenions (cafés) and golden beaches, where I'd often have the sands almost entirely to myself.
Forty years later, around half a million people flock to Paros every summer, which – on an island the size of Liverpool, a city with half a million residents (to Paros' 12,000) – means today's visitors are unlikely to have more than a scrap of sand to themselves, let alone a whole beach.
It was, until recently, still the 'the chilled alternative to Mykonos ' – as it was dubbed in a Vogue article – and the preserve of a handful of celebrities (amongst them Tom Hanks and his Greek wife, Rita Wilson, who have a house on the satellite island of Antiparos), drawn by hyper-exclusive hideaways like The Moonhouse, and a lack of prying eyes. But as is so often the way, the masses soon followed. Once renowned for its fine white marble, the island is now increasingly associated with glitzy beach clubs, gourmet restaurants and hip hotels, and resources are under strain.
'Rising costs for locals are a huge concern,' ceramic artist and long-time island resident Christiane Smit told me, while a recent LinkedIn post from former MEP and environmentalist Kriton Arsenis reported that, in the past five years alone, Paros has topped the demand for new building permits in the Cyclades, surpassing even Mykonos and Santorini, and 'been overbuilt at a dramatic pace'.
'You see it in the crowded streets, the traffic jams, the way people seem stressed,' explained Nikos Botsinis of Santorini Walking Tours, who moved to the island several years ago seeking a more authentic way of life. 'Both locals and the environment can feel the immense pressure of the tourism 'development'. But those in power are celebrating the 'success' of their decisions, turning a blind eye to the tsunami of issues that is approaching rapidly.'
Increasingly frustrated with seemingly out-of-control development on the island, residents of Naoussa sent a petition to government representatives in 2022 asking them to put a halt to rampant building in the tiny resort, describing it as 'a severe test of all the fragile infrastructure of a small place'.
In 2023, locals came together to create the Paros Citizens' Movement for Free Beaches – dubbed the 'Greek beach-towel movement' by foreign press – to protest what they describe as the 'illegal privatisation' of beaches in Greece. 'The law says no beach is private, yet there were huge swathes of beach covered by sunloungers and parasols rented for up to €100 per day, and we couldn't afford to use those areas,' one protester fumed.
Despite government promises to clamp down, however, locals say that little has changed. 'Many hotels just removed the sunbeds when there was going to be an inspection and returned them once the inspectors had gone,' said one hotel barman.
Nicolas Stephanou, who has lived on the island for 40 years, is also a member of the beach movement. 'The situation on the beaches likely acted as the final catalyst,' he said. 'The problem is that locals have started to feel like outsiders in their own community due to increasing frustration [caused by] invasive investors and a decline in their quality of life due to overtourism.'
As the island still reels from the impact of last month's dramatic flash floods – which turned the streets of Naoussa into muddy rivers, flooded houses and businesses, and swept vehicles into the sea – officials claim that a combination of typhoon-strength gales and the heaviest rainfall in 20 years were responsible for the natural disaster. Critics, however, have been quick to point out the vital role played by the uncontrolled building of roads and hotels to cope with increased tourist traffic.
'When you cover a natural watercourse with asphalt and ignore it, the day will come when it pays you back – with interest,' commented journalist Thrixos Drakotidis, who reported on the floods for Greek newspaper Protothema.
'What turned it into a disaster wasn't just nature – it was the result of decades of unsustainable construction,' agreed Kriton Arsenis in another damning post. 'Villas, hotels, roads and swimming pools have replaced the dry-stone terraces that once held water, slowed down runoff and kept the soil alive.'
There is some light on the horizon, however. Dimosthenis Leontis, who owns Paros Agnanti Resort & Spa (which became the island's first five-star hotel when it opened in 2016) and whose family has long-standing ties to the island and its hospitality industry, argues that Paros' burgeoning popularity doesn't have to lead to overtourism. 'We are proactively managing this by developing more towns around the island to better distribute visitors,' he explained, 'and we're mindful of keeping pricing accessible, so Paros remains welcoming rather than exclusive.'
But they'll have to move fast. Visiting now, the island is a far cry from the unassuming, undeveloped outpost I fell in love with all those years ago, and if things continue in this vein, it will soon be too late to reverse the damage. On Mykonos, there is now little trace of the once charming traditional culture which gave the island so much heart – and if Paros doesn't act soon, choosing to prioritise the easy-spending party set over its own culture, I fear it's doomed to follow suit.
