Drivers of touristic buses on the island of Santorini have launched a strike on Monday, June 22, 2026. The mobilization has lead to cancellation of scheduled cruise ships arrivals on the iconic islands in the Aegean Sea.
The tourist buses drivers protest the lack of infrastructure and the lack of willingness to dialogue by the competent authorities of the island.
According to media, industry professionals are also reacting to the implementation of the regulation established by the Municipal Port Fund of Thira, according to which 70% of passengers are disembarked at Ormos Fira and 30% at Athinios, from where organized transportation to points of interest takes place.
The mobilization has an immediate impact, as all cruise ship approaches to Santorini for that day were canceled.
Industry professionals, referring to their mobilization, speak of a difficult decision: “As we know that any interruption of our activity affects not only our industry, but also the local community, businesses and the economy of Santorini as a whole, our abstention is not directed against anyone and much more is not directed against the residents, professionals or visitors of the island. On the contrary, it is a last-ditch effort to highlight problems that have remained unresolved for years and affect the smooth operation of tourism, the daily lives of all of us and the image of Santorini as one of the most important tourist destinations in the world,” the announcement of the Santorini Tourist Offices and Buses Association published by the local website, neasantorinis.gr, stated.
Τhey oppose the “70%-30% distribution system” as “unfair and dysfunctional without the implementation of < time slots > for the disembarkation of cruise passengers between Fira and Athinios, the lack of suitable parking spaces for tourist buses, the absence of organized meeting points and the lack of overall planning create serious problems in traffic, visitor service, the smooth operation of the market and the discrediting of the island.
