Between Hammer and Anvil: Sustainable Tourism and Water Quality on Cyclades Islands Between the Greek Financial Crisis (2009) and the COVID-19 (2020)

The Cyclades Islands are significant to Greece’s economy, and their role has grown dramatically during the two crisis periods of the Greek Financial Crisis in 2009 and the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020. The crises shaped the Cyclades Islands’ tourist and water resource management due to water crisis events that took place between 2012 and 2024. The heavy dependence and emphasis on tourism revenues and less focus on water quality regulations made the situation more complex. Taking Mykonos and Santorini Islands (Greece) as a case study, this research’s main aim is to analyze hospitality stakeholders’ perceptions concerning water quality problems and reveal the ways of operation (modus operandi) that trigger shifting between stages in the lifespan of tourism destinations. Data are gathered through face-to-face interviews with hospitality stakeholders. The results show that the hospitality stakeholders believe that water quality issues exist in connection with short-term water resource management and tourism activity on the islands. Secondly, water quality issues and water shortages have begun to have a detrimental influence and negative cumulative impact on water availability and quality on the islands. These findings shed light on the critical points of the stage changes in the lifecycle and modus operandi of destination evolution.