ATHENS – Climbing to the top of the Acropolis of Athens, the birthplace of democracy, has always been a feat for the brave. Never more so, perhaps, than in recent summers when the city has sweated through long and perilous heatwaves. In the past two years, during peak tourism season, relentless heat has repeatedly forced authorities to shut Greece’s most-visited site during the hottest hours of the day to protect visitors and staff from temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The UNESCO World Heritage site has little shade. Standing among the exquisitely-crafted white marble columns of the Parthenon as they reflect the fierce Mediterranean sun can feel more like an endurance test than the fulfillment of a childhood dream — especially when the smoke from out-of-control wildfires drifts across the horizon. And it’s not just the Acropolis. Athens has always been scorching in the summer, but never to current levels. It’s the hottest capital in mainland Europe but witnessed record highs in 2024, a situation that’s becoming the new normal. The Mediterranean as a whole is warming up faster than the global average. With travel to Greece booming, officials say Athens is forecast to welcome a record 10 million visitors this year. Those arriving in July and August will be on a collision course with yet more extreme temperatures, predicts the country’s national weather service, creating a perfect storm of tourism and scorching weather. The situation has raised existential questions for Greece and its relationship with the visitors whose spending power has helped the country out of crisis during financially turbulent times. Increased tourism means increased pressure on scarce water resources and infrastructure.
It also means inflation, pushing locals out in favor of wealthy incomers. A much-talked-about opinion article in the Greek press suggested that the country’s single-minded pursuit of maximum tourism no longer made sense, and that Greeks were in danger of losing their birthright. “Starkly put, we are bequeathing the subsequent generations of Greeks not just a massive pile of debt, but also a summerless Greece,” it said. Trepidation about the months ahead, when the sun will once again bake down, is high. And yet, amid the fear, there is certainly hope — and a realization that the country must adapt or face disastrous consequences. For the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, “building resilience is a matter of survival.” Managing those high temperatures alongside the surge in summer tourists has become a priority.
