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A picturesque beach on the northwestern tip of Crete has gone viral, not for its stunning sand or crystalline waters but for the hordes of tourists allegedly shoehorning its shoreline.
In footage with nearly a million views, Crete’s Balos Beach is shown with a veritable plague of tourists crowding its narrow pier and famous lagoon.
The original poster sardonically captioned the grim video “Arriving at the natural wonder of Balos Beach in August.”
Balos can be reached by a hike, but many visitors opt to arrive via boat from nearby Kissamos, and during the peak summer months these vessels deliver countless tourists to the beloved beach.
“This is hell,” declared one commenter.
Others called out social media for destroying many of the world’s most beautiful destinations.
“Instagram and TikTok really ruined many places,” lamented one traveler.
“Overtourism is a serious worldwide problem, from which mostly nature suffers,” added another.
To that end, Balos is part of the European Union’s Natura 2000, recognized for its ecological importance and biodiversity
Many a smug viewer recalled visiting Balos years ago and having the beach mostly to themselves.
However, a local noted that the footage was somewhat misleading, representing a peak moment rather than a consistent crowd.
“There are tourists coming out of the boat and others waiting to go onboard,” the commenter explained, adding that the temporary human drain clog is designed to protect the landscape.
“The reason for this bottleneck is to allow only a very small area for disembarkation purposes so that the interaction with the natural environment is kept minimal.”
Other commenters noted that the video shows crowds gathering at the docking point, not the beach, suggesting the sand itself may be less overrun than the video lets on.
However, local governments are still taking action to keep crowds at bay.
According to a recent report by Greek newspaper Kathimerini, authorities in Kissamos are pushing for stricter daily capacity limits at western Crete’s premier beach destinations including Balos, Elafonisi, and Falassarna.
A local environmental adviser told the publication that these destinations host between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors a day, making it nearly impossible to enforce environmental protection rules.
Proposed options include a mandatory online booking system where visitors must reserve a specific date and time slot in advance.
The plan also introduces a visitor limit, known as a “carrying capacity,” for each location to prevent overcrowding from damaging the environment and/or overtaxing local infrastructure.
These measures, which would require collaboration and cooperation among Greece’s Environment Ministry, the Region of Crete and the Kissamos municipality, have yet to be put into effect; however, a plan of action is expected ahead of the 2027 summer season.
In a similar bit of congestive calamity, videos and images of Oia, a cliffside village in Santorini known for its iconic blue domed churches, have been circulating, showing the quaint town gridlocked with tourists.
The cerulean roofs are a sought-after photo opportunity with some clamoring shutterbugs lining up in the predawn for their turn to capture the perfect picture.
“People are wanting to go get those iconic pictures,” Mandee Migliaccio, CEO of New Jersey-based Stepping Out Travel, told Fox News Digital.
According to Migliaccio, Santorini has long been a mainstay on many a travel bucket list, but the rise of social media and cruise ship travel has amplified the island’s popularity.
“You have thousands upon thousands of people getting off the boats and wanting to take the same four pictures,” she said.
Naturally, crowds swell during the summer months and days when cruise ships come to port.
For those who will not be deterred from getting the shot they want, Migliaccio recommends an extended stay in Santorini as Sundays tend to be less thick with heaving humans while Monday and Tuesday are marred by more cruise ships.
She also urged visitors to explore other parts of the island and to embrace the local culture at a slower, less snap-happy pace.
“Santorini is so beautiful, and there’s so much to do,” she said. “And it’s not just about the photos. Go experience it.”
Depending on where you travel, that experience could come with a bit of local pushback.
On Sunday, Ibiza locals descended on the postcard-perfect Cala Saladeta to protest the overwhelming tourist hordes they say have overrun the island, packed beaches, and driven up living costs, making their slice of paradise increasingly unlivable.
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