Greece begins charging a tourist tax to cruise ship passengers stopping at its islands.

Greece began imposing a tourist tax on cruise ships stopping at its islands on Tuesday. This is the latest effort across Europe to curb the rise in visitor numbers to the continent's most popular destinations.

Cruise ships docking on the popular islands of Santorini and Mykonos will pay 20 euros per passenger. "In accordance with the regulations, the tax will be applied to these two islands and to a lesser extent to others," Greece's finance minister told AFP.

Specifically, ships traveling to smaller islands will pay five euros for each passenger, according to the new regulations.

Greece adopted the legislation—in force during the peak summer season—last year to curb the surge in tourists to its most popular destinations, becoming the latest European country to adopt such measures.

In Venice, authorities introduced a tourist tax of €5 for one-day visitors in 2024 if they did not stay overnight in the city and wanted to access the city center.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the government has taken action against illegal short-stay tourist rentals , ordering websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com to remove thousands of listings, amid local alarm over housing shortages and high prices.