Sunbeds are taking a backseat here on Symi, at the moment, at least. One might say, they have been consigned to the back row of the beach where the cheapest beds lurk, while downstage centre, where you can pay upwards of €25.00 of the right to lie down, a new news story is about to wade into the water and make a splash. In fact, it already has, with comments on social media that range from outraged to sensible, and from unhelpful to downright ignorant. But what is this hot topic and what are the facts?
Well, my first fact is that I am only telling you what I have seen, read and heard, so you must remember I am not a journalist or a newspaper. (If in doubt, see About.)
Here’s a line from Real Voice: 3 euro fee for daily visitors to Symi – We are not talking about overtourism, but about covering the Municipality’s operating expenses.
[The full story and recorded interview are here. If you need to, you can translate the page into English using your browser’s translate function. That’s what I did.]
That’s part one: the idea that day visitors (and only day visitors) will be charged €3.00 and that money will go to supply the extra services needed because of the number of day visitors the island receives. That has been estimated between 1,000 and 5,000 per day.
According to the article, the council will be submitting a relevant proposal to the co-responsible ministries of National Economy and Finance, Interior and Shipping and Island Policy. The mayor is quoted as saying, “The municipalities cannot meet and cope with their obligations with the revenues they have. And on the other hand, ordinary people cannot pay the cost when the permanent residents are 2,500 and the island receives 5,000 visitors on a one-day excursion daily, without overnight stays.” He also pointed out that €3.00 is less than a coffee of a souvlaki. Well, I don’t know where he drinks his coffee, but it’s still only €1.50 or €2.00 for an ελληνικό in the village.
On the other hand, and in the same online publication, the opposition party at the town hall has a different view. The head of the minority on the Symi Board of Directors opposes the introduction of a special €3 fee for daily visitors, citing the absence of a strategy and a sustainability study.
[Here’s the link to that article. Again, you will need to translate it.]
The opposition is doing their job and have raised some good points. As I am no longer allowed to vote for either side, I’m not here to sway anyone’s opinion, and I rather agree with both sides.
I was in Yialos on Friday (hence today’s pictures), and I counted 14 boats coming and going from Rhodes during the one day. I remember when we used to get excited if we saw three, but that was 21 years ago. Not all of these boats are day-trips ones, and not all were full, which is hardly surprising when you have so many all after the same customers. However, the main streets of the harbour were an uncomfortable place to be around midday, and that’s one thing. Another is what a café owner had to say about it which was basically being fed up with people asking for directions, asking if they could use his toilet, and not sitting down to buy anything. He’s happy to let the young and elderly use the WC, but as I pointed out, it is still him who has to pay for the water and other associated overheads. I don’t know if the public toilets are still operating in the backstreet, but they might be. I do know that the original ones were knocked down and a council office put in its place. So, toilets are one thing the harbour needs and the €3.00 could go towards. What else? Oh, rubbish bins and collections? Yup, need more of that. Parking? No. Charge longer-term visitors who bring their cars? Yup. There are plenty, if not too many hire car and bike places here now, some of them can’t even park their hire cars near the harbour and have to zip off on a moped with two people so one can bring the car to the customer. I could go on.
So I will. The mayor was quick to point out that this isn’t a case of over tourism, because, I suspect, he doesn’t want to put people off visiting. I think the point is, why should us local tax payers have to foot the extra bill for the extra work needed to repair the island after up to 5,000 people tread all over it per day in the summer? If every one of them brought only one small plastic bottle of water with them, or bought one here, that’s 5,000 extra pieces of unrecyclable plastic filling the Symi landfill. Maybe they can be recycled, but they won’t be here unless someone gets their finger out of the dam and does something about recycling before we all get buried under a pile of plastic. But that’s another story.
Meanwhile, the opposition make the valid point that you can’t just say, ‘We’re going to charge you €3.00 a day,’ without a plan. I for one, have several questions which I may or may not ask during the week, depending on what mood I wake up in.
For a start, how do you collect the tax? You can’t take it from each person as they get off the boat. In some cases, it would take so long, those at the back will never set foot on Symi.
If the boat owners are made to add it to the ticket price, how can you ensure they will be honest about the numbers they have carried? Oh, Mr Cynical! I know, but… Well, we all know how that works.
Then, how does the council show accountability? How do residents know the money is going to where it needs to go and is not misappropriated? And we know how that works too.
Then, don’t get me started on this one: When coming back on a morning boat from an overnight in Rhodes, how do I prove I am a resident and not a day tripper? How am I not charged extra for coming on a day boat, like the Sebeco or the Express. Mind you, the Sebeco team probably know everyone who lives here, but you know what I mean. Will we have to swear an affidavit before embarkation if we happen not to be carrying anything with our address on it. To get from Athens to Symi on the night before lockdown in 2020 we had to show our tax papers to prove residency; will we see a return to that? Or will the charge not apply to ferries but only to excursion boats?
There are other questions and concerns too, but to be frank, I can’t be arsed to think of them right now. I’ve written this so quickly there are probably 100 typos, but what the hell. I charge €3.00 per typo to change them, so choose wisely before you point them out.
Back tomorrow with more nonsense no doubt. Off now to write chapter twenty-one.
