Latest news with #Zakynthos
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Europe's most overcrowded holiday islands – and the unspoilt alternatives to visit instead
Across the Mediterranean, rumbling concerns about over-tourism have risen to a crescendo over the past couple of years. Both the conspicuous absence of visitors during the pandemic and the talk of building back more sustainably are distant memories: now it seems that all people really want is their moment in the sun. On Europe's most popular islands, it's putting a strain on resources and infrastructure as water becomes scarce, roads are jam-packed and rubbish mounts. Still, they come. In Spain, where tourism accounts for 15.6 per cent of the total GDP according to World Travel & Tourism Council figures, industry revenue was up 36 per cent on 2019 in the first nine to 11 months of 2024, despite well-publicised anti-tourism protests. Surprisingly though, the busy Balearics are not the most over-touristy place in the Med, nor are the much-Instagrammed Greek holiday paradises of Mykonos and Santorini. According to a recent report by Which? Travel, that dubious accolade goes to Zakynthos – where there are 150 tourists for every resident. Below, we've rounded up the busiest islands in Europe, and some of their sleepier alternatives. The overrun Rhodes The neon-clad party resort of Faliraki has much to answer for: it's where the island's reputation as a hard-living, cheap-boozing place was born, and now 3.5 million visitors per year head here every year in search of a slice of hedonistic heaven (that's 26 for every one resident). Cruise ships dock in the port of Rhodes Town too, tipping the tourism scales even further. It led it to be labelled the second most over-crowded city in Europe by holiday rentals portal which crunched inbound arrivals data from Euromonitor International to place Dubrovnik first in the table. Rhodes, however, beat notoriously busy Venice into second place. Things could soon start looking up for the island though. It partnered with operator Tui to found Rhodes Co-Lab, an organisation that aims to transform it into a sustainable destination by 2030 using initiatives that include moving away from fossil fuels, increasing local agriculture and aquaculture by 50 per cent and protecting the island's cultural heritage. Majorca According to Which? data, Majorca had the most overnight stays in Europe in 2023, clocking up more than 51 million of them. In 2024, seven per cent more visitors passed through Palma's airport than in the previous year, and numbers were expected to rise again in 2025. Among the consequences is a new summer traffic problem, with hire cars clogging the ring road around Palma and the winding lanes of the countryside during July and August. Then there's the lack of housing for locals, with around a third of all properties classed as second homes. It has resulted in understandable friction. In March, an open letter signed by a clutch of campaigning organisations warned the latter not to visit this year. It explained: 'We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem.' Ibiza The number of annual visitors to Ibiza has almost doubled since 2001, according to the non-profit organisation Ibiza Preservation. With more than three million overnight stays annually, compared with a year-round population of just 160,000, the island has lost much of its farmland and has the highest amount of waste per head of any Balearic island. The organisation claims that only four per cent of food eaten is grown locally, while a decimation of fields and forest has led to increased risk of wildfires. Water is scarce too, though no restrictions are currently in place for tourists. On June 15, this year's over-tourism protests will kick off in Ibiza Town, as part of a nationwide campaign. Malta It may not get the Instagram mileage of the Balearics or Greek islands, but Malta is engaged in a quieter battle with over-tourism. In 2022, it already had the eighth highest number of tourists per resident in the world, according to and, in 2024, the number visiting rose by almost 20 per cent year on year. More hotels are being built, and the island will need to attract almost five million tourists per year to fill them by 2027. But Malta and its neighbours are already struggling to cope with those that do come. Back in 2023, residents complained to The Times of Malta about 'a 'suffocating' stench, traffic chaos and double parking' in the island capital Valletta and some of its busiest resorts. And some local operators refuse to take visitors to the nearby island of Comino in the summer. Once one of the prettiest local spots, it's now packed with Instagrammers and the resulting litter has led to a rat problem. The under-visited Dugi Otok Croatia has an over-tourism problem, with more than 20 million overnight stays per year. But only around 0.005 per cent of them involve this secret (though not exactly inconspicuous) spot off the coast near Zadar. It may because much of the 27-mile long island is uncultivated, or because its tiny capital Sali lacks the glamour or show-off monuments of the country's better-known seaside cities (it makes up for it with a harbour busy with sorbet-shade terraces and surroundings dotted with 700-year-old olive trees). There's a lively festival in Sali each year in the first week of August, the rocky coves and wooded hills of the Nature Park Telašćica and one of the country's best beaches – the long sweep at Sakarun, where the water is as clear as vodka and the scent of pine forest carries on the breeze – to enjoy. Pantelleria This wild isle off Sicily isn't completely without visitors. But though the population doubles in summer, that still means there are less than 15,000 people exploring its crater lake, hot springs and herb-scented trails at any one time (compare that with the 3.6 million who flock to Capri every year). There's culture too: Pantelleria's traditional way of harvesting grapes for its famous wines has made it onto Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. And, though sand is not really on the menu, Pantelleria's dramatic rocky coves are literally the stuff of legend – the playgrounds of Odysseus during his long kidnap by Circe. Samothraki, Greece For every Mykonos or Santorini, there's a harder-to-access Greek island where tourists are thin on the ground. Among them is Samothraki in the northern Aegean, accessed by the summer ferry from Limnos (or year-round one from mainland Alexandrouplis) and with a healthy tourist bed to local ratio of 0.5 to one, according to research by the Sustainable Samothraki project. This is not a place for days on the beach and long lunches in tavernas but rather tramping through golden wheat fields or driving up empty switchbacks towards remote churches and icy waterfalls. There aren't any swish hotels either, just a smattering of three-stars on the north coast, between the swooping rocks and tumbling waters of the Fonias Gorge and the ancient columns of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, once home to a mystery cult that drew dignitaries from across the region. Porto Santo, Portugal Sometimes you have to get away from the Med to escape the crowds and this island dwells in the Atlantic, a 90-minute ferry ride from its big sister Madeira. Well-known among Portuguese tourists for its buttery beaches and sleepy seaside towns, it hasn't yet hit the big time with the wider world, despite Madeira being Portugal's fourth most-visited region. Not deemed worthy of its own official statistics, Porto Santo is thought to see around 20,000 visitors per month in summer. The sand really is the thing here: there's a great nine km line of the stuff at Porto Santo's namesake beach, as well as a chain of sleepy coves with tiki umbrellas. Sea kayak or hike between them and break up the sunbathing with trips to the rock formations at Pico de Ana Ferreira or hikes up the mountain of Pico Branco for blustery views out to sea.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Why this infamous Greek party island is shedding its reputation and going upmarket
Shipwreck Beach on the island of Zante (also known as Zakynthos) is one of Greece 's most photographed spots, with the skeletal remains of a ship lying in the centre of its golden sands. We're whizzing towards the shore on a speedboat tour of the southernmost of the Ionian islands, to which Corfu and Kefalonia also belong. It's a beautiful location surrounded by high limestone cliffs that attracts thousands of holidaymakers, many taking day trips from the resort of Laganas with its bars and cheap hotels popular with young Britons. Yet there's another side to Zante that remains virtually untouched by tourism: a patchwork of olive groves and farms covering large parts of the island linked by quiet lanes and one-track roads. Devastated by an earthquake in 1953, many islanders left Zante - and much of the landscape has remained undiscovered ever since. But not Shipwreck Beach. It's become such a popular attraction you're no longer allowed to swim off the sands due to restrictions to control overtourism. Instead, on our early morning visit we escape before the main daily crowds arrive and head to a nearby beach for a dip in the aquamarine waters, and then cruise into the Blue Caves. Here we leap into the vivid, teal-coloured water, created by sunlight reflecting off the limestone walls, giggling at the sight of our legs and arms glowing Smurf-blue beneath the surface. Our watery tour is part of discovering the other side of Zante including a new wave of luxury hotels whose owners hope to change the island's reputation and encourage visitors to explore beyond the southern coast resorts. Our first base is the recently opened King Jason Zante, an adults-only, all-inclusive resort where the big draw is the Maldivian-style rooms, many with terraces that open straight onto the patchwork of pools that form a lattice down a hillside. It's blisteringly hot when we arrive, touching 40C, so the cool, modernist design - lots of pale grey concrete and glass walls - is welcome. The suites continue the Maldivian ethos, with the king-sized bed in the centre of the room, a retractable screen separating the open plan bathroom behind. It's a world away from the simplicity that lies outside. The next day we hire a car and follow the winding lanes into the island's quiet hinterland, stopping to drink thimbles of thick, bitter coffee on the ramshackle square in the quiet village of Keri. THE sun beats down as we wander along silent alleyways leading between one-storey whitewashed houses with faded blue doors and window shutters. Muted conversations float out from the darkness inside. 'This is what makes Zante special,' says Venia Xenou, whose family owns the Olea All Suite Hotel, which re-set the bar for luxury accommodation when it opened in 2018. 'Farming is still the most important economy here. Tourism is growing but the trick is to do it without disturbing the traditional way of life. We look at other islands, where overtourism is a problem, and think no, we don't want that here.' The Olea All Suite could have been the template for the King Jason, with the same arrangement of swimming pools and rooms opening directly onto the water. The vibe is slightly different, though. Guests are a little younger and there's more of a club, Ibiza-style feel, although the sandy-floored, open-sided Cocoon bar and restaurant (shoes definitely optional) is straight out of an Indian Ocean resort. The vibe is slightly different at the Olea All Suite, where guests are a little younger and there's more of a club feel The biggest treat is the Flow restaurant, set high on the hillside, where tables and a clutch of spherical basket chairs are positioned to make the most of the gorgeous view across the valley below. Dinner at Flow - succulent seabass fresh off the boat and flamegrilled lamb - is so lovely it seems impossible to better. Yet our final night at the Lesante Blu - a waterfront resort with a stretch of private beach - proves to be the most memorable of all. As the sun dips, a violinist steps on to the square of lawn between the restaurant tables and begins to play, accompanied by a background DJ. The sound is exquisite, the whole elegant experience the polar opposite of the hectic streets of Laganas. As the music emanates, I think of all the post A-level students on our flight, giddy with excitement for their first trip away. It makes me hope that rather than simply turning into a fully-blown 'party island' - or becoming a luxury retreat - Zante will adapt to accommodate both.
Times
11-05-2025
- Times
How not to follow the tourist crowds — according to our experts
I vowed to choose my holidays more carefully when I found myself in Santorini one July queuing to take a photo of the sun setting behind the island's famous blue domes (Siobhan Grogan writes). More patient people nearby had been waiting hours to guarantee their prime spot, armed with snacks to see them through until nightfall. Which was probably wise given that their chance of finding a restaurant table nearby was precisely zero, unless they had booked weeks in advance and wanted to blow their entire holiday budget on a main course. Beyond Santorini, overtourism is now a serious problem across Europe for residents and holidaymakers. Popular destinations such as Barcelona, Mallorca and Paris are swamped by record numbers of visitors each year, leading to crowded attractions, protests and demands from locals to enforce measures to prevent the problem from getting worse. Many cities, including Amsterdam and Venice, have already levied tourist taxes in the hope of deterring future travellers. A new report from Which? has analysed European Commission tourism numbers to calculate three outcomes: how many nights tourists spend in a region compared to the number of residents, the most overnight stays overall and the most overnight stays per square kilometre. It discovered that the Greek island of Zakynthos — also known as Zante — is Europe's worst-hit hot spot in terms of a tourist-to-local-resident ratio, with six million overnight stays in 2023 to only 40,000 residents, or put simply, 150 more people each night for every person that lives there. Istria in Croatia and the Canary Island of Fuerteventura follow close behind, with 133 and 119 stays respectively for every resident. Mallorca is the most visited place in Europe overall, with more than 51 million overnight stays in 2023 compared to a population of just 966,000. Meanwhile, Paris has by far the highest number of tourists per square km, with 418,280, followed by central Athens (88,535) and Copenhagen (63,944). However, you can still holiday without the crowds if you look elsewhere in Europe, according to Which?. The survey found that the seaside resort of Haapsalu in Estonia had just 120 overnight stays by tourists per kilometre in 2023. If you really want the sunset to yourself, you could also consider the Dytikos Tomeas Athinon region near Athens or Teleorman in Romania, which respectively recorded just six and two overnight stays per 1,000 residents. Here's the travel desk's pick of some more alternative destinations where the locals will actually be glad to see you. This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue I spent my university year abroad in a little town west of Toulouse, which at the age of 21 I unfairly thought was the most boring place in the world (sorry, Auch). While this southwestern French city — more a country town than a big hub — can't compete with the razzle-dazzle of Paris or Provence, it has more laid-back charms: a walk along the Garonne river, admiring the pink architecture (which gives it its moniker the Rose City); eating steak frites and drinking local-ish Bordeaux wine in the sun at Brasserie de l'Opera, in the grand Capitole square (mains from £6; Toulouse's Romanesque basilica of St Sernin is one of the finest in Europe. If you're into planes — this city is the home of the plane manufacturer Airbus — don't miss the fascinating Aeroscopia museum (£12; The boutiquey townhouse-style Hotel des Arts in the old quarter, near the Capitole square, is the place to stay. Need more reasons for the swap? Toulouse is cheaper and the weather's Room-only doubles from £139 ( Fly to Toulouse • The laid-back French city with a Spanish vibe and all-year sunshine The last time I visited Amsterdam, hotel and Airbnb prices were so high we ended up staying in a seaside town called Zandvoort, 25 minutes away by train. Commuting … on holiday? Extremely bad vibes. For a cheaper (and much less crowded) city break, I'd recommend Ghent, over the border in Belgium. Does it have as much going on as the Dutch capital? No, but there's plenty to keep you busy over a long weekend. The 1432 Ghent Altarpiece at St Bavo's Cathedral rivals Rembrandt's The Night Watch, the highlight of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, in scale and vivid detail (£14; The city's gabled canal houses are as pretty as those in nearby Bruges, another hectic tourist hub. And with more than a quarter of Ghent's population being students, the nightlife scene is diverse and lively — grab a beer at grungy Afsnis (drinks from £2; then check out a folk or punk gig at Trefpunt (prices vary; Decked out with house plants and abundant mid-century brown and orange, Yalo Urban Boutique Hotel is a stylish, central place to crash B&B doubles from £182 ( Take the train to Ghent via Brussels While the crowds rush onwards to the Algarve, stay put in the region's overlooked capital for its cobbled old town, laid-back seafood restaurants and three sandy islands just off shore for beach days. There's a smattering of sights including a 15th-century cathedral (£4; Largo da Sé) and the spooky Bone Chapel (£2; Largo do Carmo), fashioned from the skulls of Carmelite monks. Potter around sunlit squares, join a dolphin-spotting boat cruise (£49; or visit the Roman ruins of Milreu six miles away (£2; Estoi). The four-star Hotel Faro overlooks the historic marina and has a rooftop pool and bar, sleek modern rooms and a free shuttle to its own beach club B&B doubles from £94 ( Fly to Faro • 10 of the most beautiful places in Portugal (and how to see them) Canals, cicchetti and crowds — Venice has, and always will be, an absolute honeypot for tourists and, as a result, pickpockets too. Just over an hour down the road is the much calmer, and lovelier, Verona. Entirely walkable, the city is the perfect size for a long weekend, which you can spend exploring Giardino Giusti, a gorgeous Renaissance garden that's all bubbling fountains and romantic turrets ( settle in for some opera at the 30m-high Arena di Verona ( and take the funicular to the top of Colle San Pietro (round trip £2.50; to watch the sky turn the same colour as the £2.50 Aperol you'll have in hand (you won't find that in Venice, either). Book a room at Byblos Art Hotel, which feels half gallery, half hotel thanks to the 200 works on its B&B doubles from £280 ( Fly to Verona The sprawling Unesco-listed region of Cilento is just a couple of hours down the coast from the glitzy, glamorous Amalfi but features on far fewer Brits' itineraries. They are missing out. The vibe here is deliciously authentic, with beautifully preserved Greek temples in Paestum, charming buffalo mozzarella farms featuring intriguing deli shops, one of the country's largest national parks, which is ripe for hiking and biking, and miles of sandy beaches. Base yourself in the seaside town of Santa Maria di Castellabate, with its palm-tree lined promenade, wooden fishing boats and pretty pastel-coloured buildings, and feast on delicious pizza and pasta at Le Gatte (mains from £15; Stay in the town's grandest hotel, Palazzo Belmonte, with lovely gardens and a B&B doubles from £115 ( Fly to Naples or Salerno Nobody likes Barcelona. You might think you do, but you don't really. Far too touristy, far too expensive and they can't even be bothered to finish that big, weird church thing. So bugger Barcelona and get thee to Girona, 60 miles north. Smaller, quieter and infinitely more charming than its Catalonian cousin, Girona only really gets busy in May, during the spectacular annual flower festival. Other than that you'll pretty much have the city to yourself, meaning you can comfortably stroll the cobbled streets of the medieval Jewish Quarter or stare at the River Onyar from one of the many bridges. Even if you can't bag (or stretch to) a table at the three-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca (tasting menus from £265pp; you should try to stay at the Roca family's stylish 15-room hotel, the Casa B&B doubles from £220 ( Fly to Girona Look, don't get me wrong, I love Santorini. The steep cliff face with its built-in white architecture, the sunsets, the tiny boutique hotels covered in bougainvillea … it's not surprising that 3.4 million tourists come every year. But I spent a good chunk of my last visit — in late October, the off-season — navigating the sweaty queues that snake through the streets of Oia come sunset time. I should have returned to Naxos, Santorini's Cycladic sibling to the north and my other Greek island love, instead. What it lacks in dramatic caldera views and direct flights, the island makes up for in affordable tavernas, hiking trails, ancient history (make time for the excellent Archaeological Museum, free entry; and — hurrah — no queues for your sunset snap. Chora, the lively old town, is a handy base for getting around and exploring neighbouring Cyclades (pretty Paros is a 30-minute ferry ride away). Stay at Arco Naxos Luxury Apartments, a charming bunch of self-catering pads in the town Room-only doubles from £90 ( Take the ferry to Naxos via Mykonos • I've been to more than 40 Greek islands — this one is my favourite Of course Mallorca is gorgeous, we all know that, from the wannabe pro cyclists who come to test their mettle and muscles on the steep Tramuntana mountain ascents to the toddlers who paddle in the pretty coves and the louche open-shirted lounge lizards who to try to catch a scent of a bygone hippy past in Deia. But Menorca is the Balearic to go for now. It might not quite have the same lusciousness as the green hilly parts of Mallorca, and it isn't that much like Ibiza, with all that stands for, but it has a starker, more arid beauty all its own. You feel very on-the-money pleased with yourself when you discover a tucked-away boutique farm stay such as Son Vell, an airy mansion with a vast deep swimming pool in a stone irrigation tank and palm-filled tropical gardens. Or when you're eating hipster fried fish small plates in chichi Ciutadella's Ulisses bar in the town's covered market (small plates from £8; and are told, 'Oh, this is where everyone who's bored of Ibiza is coming now.' The most famous white sand calas, or beaches, may still get busy in summer but the island is covered in cool little corners that are only now starting to be discovered by tourists, and they remain well dispersed across the rural B&B doubles from £465 ( Fly to Mahon • 19 of the best hotels in Menorca Where do you go to avoid the crowds? Spill your secrets in the comments
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
The gorgeous Greek island named Europe's most overcrowded holiday spot
A new study has revealed the popular tourist destination that's the most overcrowded in Europe. To find the answer, the European Commission created a 'tourism pressure' score by comparing the amount of nights tourists spend in a region with the number of people living there. Which? Travel dived into the figures to find out which European hotspot is best avoided if you don't enjoy fighting crowds on holiday. It found that Zakynthos is officially the most overcrowded holiday destination in Europe, according to 'tourism pressure' figures. The Greek island, often known as Zante, has just 40,000 residents but tourists stayed for a whopping six million overnight stays in 2023. This means that tourists outnumbered residents by nearly 150 to one during peak summer season. Zante is the third-largest of Greece's Ionian islands and one of the country's most popular destinations. It has a reputation for nightlife and is a leading destination for European party holidays. Which? explains that the majority of Zante's tourists tend to stay at the 'sprawling, raucous resorts' on the island's south coast. The island's biggest resort areas include Laganas, Kalamaki, Tsilivi, Argassi and Alkinas. Responsible Travel, a travel company focused on ethical tourism, adds that Zante is 'struggling [to cope] with millions of visitors' each year. It claims: 'Ferries overflow with people and luggage in high season, along with roads, ports, airports, while waste disposal facilities and electricity grids struggle to cope with the surge in numbers.' But Zakynthos isn't the only European holiday destination to face issues with overtourism. According to Which?, Majorca also has a 'problem' with overtourism. The Balearic island has an average of 54 overnight stays to every resident. The Spanish hotspot has introduced a tourist tax to try to deter tourist numbers but Which? recommends avoiding the island altogether in the busiest months of July and August.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Telegraph
British woman sent family message before killing herself in Greece
A young British woman sent her family a final message before she killed herself on holiday in Greece, an inquest has heard. Melissa Cross, 23, was staying in the four-star Golden Sun hotel in the resort of Kalamaki on the island of Zakynthos with her boyfriend in September 2023. The couple had spent the days leading up to her death visiting sandy beaches and riding quad bikes, but she was found hanged on Sept 25 2023. The alarm was raised after the care worker from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, sent a message to her family explaining her 'thoughts and intentions'. Sitting at south Wales central coroner's court in Pontypridd, Kerrie Burge, the coroner, recorded a conclusion of suicide at an inquest into Cross's death. Ms Burge said: 'There had been no previous indications that Melissa would harm herself but Melissa had sent a goodbye message to her family explaining her thoughts and intentions. 'On the balance of probabilities it is more likely than not that Melissa intended to take her own life by her actions.' Cross had posted a series of holiday photos on social media in the days before she died. One post read: 'Most beautiful morning seeing the turtles and visiting the blue caves, absolutely obsessed with how clear the water is out here.' Tributes Friends and family paid tribute to Cross following her death. Her sister said: 'Melissa, my kind caring and amazing baby sister. I miss you every second of every day. My world will never be the same again. 'I've loved you all of your life, and I will love and miss you for the rest of mine.' Her niece said: 'Melissa, my beautiful gorgeous Auntie Mel. I love and miss you so much more than anything. 'We've made so many amazing memories together over the years. We were so close with each other. Rest in pure paradise Melissa.'
