As Santorini prepares for its high travel season, tourism stakeholders are working to counter the lingering effects of a string of small earthquakes that disrupted the island earlier this year. A series of minor tremors that began in late January prompted temporary evacuations and a brief state of emergency, though the seismic activity has since significantly eased, according to local authorities.
While the earthquakes caused no major injuries or damage, their timing during a critical booking window led to a noticeable slowdown in reservations. "I like to call the situation a PR disaster, rather than natural disaster," said Markos Chaidemenos, managing director of Canaves Collection, a luxury hotel group on the island. "The earthquakes have calmed down for some time now, but we still have Santorini being portrayed as a place that was devastated."
Chaidemenos noted that although cancellations were minimal, there was a marked drop in new reservations during the months of January through March—typically key for summer bookings.
In response, tourism authorities and industry leaders have launched a coordinated effort to restore traveler confidence. Greece’s tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni released a statement on March 20 affirming that Santorini’s infrastructure is fully operational. “There are no issues with the island’s tourism and essential infrastructure, which are functioning normally,” she stated.
The message has been echoed across the hospitality sector. “Life on the island continues as usual,” said George Pitsinelis, general manager of Magma Resort Santorini, part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. He confirmed that hotels and restaurants are open and ready to welcome guests, with regular safety inspections in place.
A notable sign of recovery came on March 23 when Santorini received its first cruise ship of the season, after earlier port calls had been canceled due to the quakes. While bookings remain slightly behind usual pace, Pitsinelis expressed optimism. “Interest in Santorini is exceptionally strong,” he said. “We are confident that 2025 will see guests returning as usual.”
Travel advisors have reported a similar trend of resilience. Christos Stergiou, CEO of luxury travel company TrueTrips, said most clients opted to delay decisions rather than cancel. “There were certainly concerns among our guests, but we did not experience any significant cancellations,” he said.
Katie Brown, a travel advisor with Travelmation, described a similar pattern. “People who had already prebooked did reach out about possibly canceling their trips,” she said. “But for most people, I just told them, ‘Hey, let’s see what happens. Don’t make any changes right now.’”
As reassurances spread, agencies have begun to see an uptick in new bookings. “At this point, demand has returned to normal levels,” said Stergiou. Petros Zissimos, managing director of New York-based Hellenic Holidays, confirmed the rebound, noting increased interest beginning mid-March, particularly for late May and early June.
In an effort to stimulate bookings, some hotels have introduced promotional offers, including nonrefundable packages and deals such as “stay three nights, get a fourth free.”
While Santorini shows signs of recovery, advisors warned that Greece’s tourism overall could see a slight downturn this year—not due to seismic activity, but broader economic factors. Brown cited high airfares and rising costs as reasons some travelers are looking toward less expensive alternatives in Europe.
Zissimos added that shifting visitor patterns have affected peak-season months. “There have been all sorts of pundits saying, ‘Don’t visit Greece in July and August, because it’s super busy,’” he said. “But what’s happened is [tourists have] all decided to go in June and September.” As a result, many hotels are now offering incentives to fill availability during the core summer months.
Despite the challenges, stakeholders remain upbeat. “The pickup is picking up,” Chaidemenos said. “I think we’re going to eventually do great. We’re very optimistic.”
