Santorini is expected to impose a strict accommodation ban as part of a crackdown on the increasing problems brought by over-tourism to the top holiday destination.

The Greek government has proposed legislation that would impose strict building restrictions on hotels and holiday lets on the popular tourist island in an attempt to curb the impact of tourism and preserve the traditional landscape and the island’s natural beauty.

The legislation aims to halt any future development on Santorini that could modify the island’s natural character and will call all current building permits in the caldera zone into review. Swimming pools and building extensions will also fall under the suspension clause.

The major increase in tourism seen in the last few years, driven by the rapid rise of the independent accommodation market via such companies as Airbnb and Booking.com, has led many tourist destinations to the realisation that controls are essential to ensure sustainable and quality tourism into the future.

The Greek government also announced that a charge is to be levied on cruise ship passengers who disembark on the island during their stay at Santorini. The rule will also apply to other destination ports in the country, including the islands of Mykonos and Rhodes. The amount of the charges has not yet been confirmed.

Over tourism is not just restricted to Santorini, as the local population of many Greek islands are also calling for more control of tourism as the number of visitors has been rising year-on-year, placing severe pressure on the existing island infrastructures and quality of life.