At Kathimerini\u2019s Reimagine Tourism conference, representatives from the real-estate sector, digital platforms and development consultancies presented evidence on where short-term rentals truly have an impact\u2014and where public narratives are misleading.<\/p>\n
During the panel \u201cShort-Term Rentals and Destination Resilience\u201d<\/strong>, held as part of Reimagine Tourism, four key market representatives \u2014 Nasos Gavallas (STAMA Greece), Georgios Dafnos (Remaco), Dimitris Melachroinos (Spitogatos) and Matteo Sarzana (Airbnb) \u2014 attempted to answer a question that dominates public debate: do short-term rentals contribute to overtourism, high housing costs and pressure on neighbourhoods?<\/p>\n With clarity, documentation and differing perspectives, they demonstrated that the reality is far more complex than the prevailing narrative.<\/p>\n Nasos Gavallas (STAMA) dismantled the idea that Athens is experiencing overtourism, stressing that discussions often compare the city to major European destinations such as Barcelona or Rome. \u201cWith the numbers we see today, we cannot speak of overtourism,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n Dimitris Melachroinos (Spitogatos) focused on real-estate demand, which has increased significantly \u2014 though not solely because of tourism.<\/p>\n Georgios Dafnos (Remaco) clarified that pressure points exist but are local<\/em>, for example around the Acropolis, and do not indicate city-wide overtourism: \u201cWe need to examine specific geographic zones, not generalise about Athens.\u201d<\/p>\nOvertourism: Yes or no? \u201cNot even close,\u201d says the market<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Athens\u2019 \u201cfreeze\u201d: A European case study<\/strong><\/h2>\n