We want to go to Santorini. So does everyone else. We like travelling to some of the world’s most beautiful places, at a good time to visit them. Finding other people there is no surprise. The promise “just as beautiful as Santorini, but without the tourists” does little for us. We want to go to Santorini.
Just one more photo
People queue at the popular photo spots. We already know the picture: white houses, blue domes, sea. Now everyone wants to be in it themselves.
It would be easy to photograph the queue and caption it “overtourism”. What that photograph alone would not tell you is how people treat one another.
They wait patiently. Whoever reaches the front gets time for their picture. The next person helps with the group shot if needed. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the view. It is already rather good a few metres before the designated spot.
We do not join every queue. Sometimes we would rather spend our time differently. Walking down to Ammoudi Bay, for instance, sitting by the water and watching the harbour at work.
Of course the narrow lanes get crowded. But that does not define our whole stay. In the morning, or just a little away from the main routes, the island feels different. We are not constantly dodging a crowd.
When does it tip over?
On Naxos, a lot of people gather at the Portara for sunset. We like the atmosphere. Having so many others waiting with us is part of the moment.
On Lycabettus in Athens, we feel differently. Jostling, competing for the best spot. Arrive, look, photograph, leave. We never quite settle into it.
Numbers alone clearly do not explain the difference. Nor does photography. What seems to matter is whether people make room for one another or have to wrest space from each other. Our claim to the view is no older than anyone else’s.
On Nusa Penida, off Bali, we reached our limit. At Kelingking Beach, people climbed into positions for photos that looked dangerous to us. Rubbish piled up behind them; restaurants and toilets seemed unable to cope. We cut the excursion short and waited in a café for the ferry back to Bali.
For us, there is a considerable difference between a patient queue and a place like that. Giving both the same label explains very little.
We can leave
All of this describes our view as visitors. Coping happily with the crowds does not answer what it is like to live or work there every day. We can move on, choose another time and eventually leave.
Tourism provides livelihoods. It can also put pressure on everyday life. The people who benefit need not be those who bear the greatest burden. An enjoyable stay tells us little about how much tourism Santorini as a whole can sustain.
Other people are part of it
We like staying for several days. That way, the crowded lane becomes one memory alongside the quiet morning and the evening by the sea.
We do not want to turn every busy place into a problem. Sometimes the other people belong to the experience. At the Portara, when so many of us are waiting for the same sunset. Or in a queue, when someone wants one more photo and the next person patiently takes the camera.
Perhaps we will even get a picture with both of us in it.