In July 2025, Athens hosted about 7 million tourists. For a city of about 3.5 million, that means a lot of extra everything. The land, the people, the resources, and the sites are squeezed by the tourist desire for - what? Escape, experience, exploration, a break from the norm and the grind. The tourist comes and adds pressure to the city, and brings money/ jobs, and homogenizes culture. People in Athens are fighting back, especially in Exarchia. Signs and chants say “Tourists go home!”

Now, a thorny reflection: if you, as an artist, a writer, a creator, a scholar, if you come to visit Athens one July, and you stay for a solid several weeks, and you really immerse in the local scene, what does that make you? Are you also a tourist? Is it also a problem?