Have you ever wondered why television channels in Greece have been constantly reporting since mid-June from major ports in Attica about citizens traveling to the islands? Almost daily reports have been informing the public in boring details how many ferries leave the ports of Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio for the Cyclades islands? Daily from mid-June until August 16th, 17th and even 18th, when the peak dates for Greeks’ summer vacations practically end right after the Dormition of Virgin Mary on August 15th.
Have you wondered why all this circus about Greeks leaving for the islands?
The reason is simple: sharp opposition criticism to the government that it does nothing to halt price increases and high cost of living: hikes in transport, accommodation, holiday packages, high prices in organized beaches paying 60-100 euros for a set of sun lounges and an umbrella, high catering prices, and even in food and energy, while wages and pensions have fallen victim to a miserable and unrealistic stagnation.
In addition, when opposition and citizens on social media started to complain about the high vacation cost, especially on the islands and thus due to international tourists, a government MP had claimed “Greeks should have summer vacations in their village or in the mainland and not the islands!”
So the government thought to launch a daily PR attack through the loyal media to convince even the 90-year-old pensioner who spends the whole day in front of TV that the criticism is unfair. The slogan was clear: “There, look! Every day Greeks get on ferries and sail to the islands!”
On Sunday and Monday, August 17-18, the reports showed young Greeks returning from the islands cheering “We were away for 3 days” – or 4 days “We had great time!”
Sure! They have to kids, or bills to pay as they mostly live with their parents.
In a media report published end of July, a journalist calculated the cost for a week vacation on an island for a family of four: proud 2,000 euros for a week and thus on a modest island like Kythnos. and that’s the minimum one family can spend provided that it is accommodated in a facility where breakfast and at least one meal per day can be prepared there. It should be noted that food prices are higher on the islands due to the additional transport cost.
A good and cheaper alternative is that one has his own summer-house, often inherited from parents or grandparents or has relatives and friends with a summer-house, preferably close to the sea.
And even cheaper alternative you when you live relatively close to the sea and enjoy a swim two, three or even more times per week. However, with increasing foreign tourists also in Athens in the last two years, beaches are endlessly overcrowded Monday to Sunday.
Statistics talk
46% of the Greeks over 16 years old cannot afford to pay for even a week of summer vacation. For poor households, the percentage rises to almost 75%. As for non-poor households – which also includes the famous “middle class” for which the government is so keen – a seven-day paid vacation is an unattainable dream for 39% of the citizens.
This is not a new finding. It has been published since April 2025, in the “Household Income and Living Conditions Survey” of ELSTAT. It results from the processing of data for 2024, with an income reference period of 2023.
According to ELSTAT, in 2024, 46% of the population of Greece had the financial inability to afford a week’s holiday, up from 43% in 2023.
“Financial inability to afford a week’s holiday” is just one of the 13 criteria of material and social deprivation, on the basis of which European statistics on poverty and social exclusion are compiled each year. When a citizen is deprived of at least seven of the 13 goods and services on the list, then they are considered to belong to the population with “severe material and social deprivation”.
PS It turns out it’s cheaper to book a holiday package in a country abroad than spend your summer vacation in your own country.
And we, the majority of Greeks, love to have our vacation at the sea. Old habits die hard.
This is rubbish. The ferry boat are full of Greeks going on holidays.
We in Australia struggle more than Greece. It is cheaper to fly to Greece for a holiday than to travel from Perth to Brisbane.
domestic air tickets also more expensive here than to abroad.BTW: we don’t do comparing ‘who is struggling more worldwide” here.
Sadly this is the situation in most european countries. Wages and pensions have not risen with inflation, people work 2 jobs to make ends meet or have to rely on food banks. It is asimple fact that you can onls trim expenses so far and governments across europe and beyond have had a opilcy of cut by 10% every year but there is nothing left to cut. The fat is all gone!
The only fat that I recall prior to the global banking fiasco consisted of the salaries paid in merchant banking and the stomachs and corrupt practices of Pasok and ND. For everyone else in Greece, the benefit of eurozone membership consisted of access to low interest loans (mostly spent on houses and cars) and the buoyant economic conditions that accompanied eurozone membership. But mostly it was debt taken to improve quality of life. Debt is not “fat”.