Dear Greece,

Before I start my letter to the country of Greece, I should give you a little background.

My husband is Greek. He has cousins in southwest Greece in a tiny village called Vromoneri.

We came to visit the first time in 2010, and are currently in Greece for our eighth trip to this amazing country.

It’s so amazing that I should be a spokesperson for Greece tourism.

However, the country is not without its problems…just like every other country.

So if you’re saying to yourself that you’ve always wanted to go to Greece, you’re not alone.

In 2025, Greece welcomed a record-breaking 43.31 million foreign travelers (a 6.4% increase from 2024), generating over €23.6 billion in travel receipts. (This information was found on Google).

When we visit other countries, it’s best to roll with ‘their flow’, abide by their rules and laws, be polite and respectful, and learn a few key words in their language to show you’re trying.

But, since I’m not a newbie in Greece, there are a few things I’d like to tell them that might be beneficial to future millions of tourists. Here we go:

Dear Greece,

I am proud to say that I have visited your country eight times. I will be back for more.

Your people are friendly, the food is amazing, we’ve had outstanding accommodations, and I’m disappointed that I can’t live here at least three to four months a year.

But…and there’s always a but…for the love of God please build some parking structures and parking lots. Where I’m currently staying, the main village doesn’t have one single solitary public parking space.

We can find places to park and then walk a mile to our destination. Or hire a taxi from our parking space to our destination. We are all retired with the usual aches and pains that come with old age. This isn’t just a problem in our current location. We have experienced this in every location, mainland and islands, during all eight trips here.

If some enterprising individual wanted to buy a piece of land, build a parking structure, and charge for parking, he would be wealthy in no time at all.

Next subject. On our first trip here in 2010, every trash can and dumpster were overflowing into the streets and blowing around everywhere. We were told not to worry because there was a garbage strike going on. Ok…no problem. Settle the strike and get back to normal.

Folks, this is their normal. Seven trips here, islands included, still have overflowing garbage cans and dumpsters that are blowing around the trash. It’s not only unsightly, it’s a health risk.

This country is over run with cats. I think a cat is their national symbol. They have never bothered us and the cats are well cared for by the locals. There are cats congregating around all the overflowing garbage. And we know that two cats can create a lot more cats. They are in all outdoor spaces including restaurants and shopping areas.

I would tend to think that it would be easier and more effective to clean up the garbage problem than to do something about the cat epidemic.

In the United States we would find raccoons, rats, opossums, and dogs in overflowing garbage areas. I have never seen a squirrel, rabbit, rats, raccoon, or opossum here. Maybe the cats take care of these critters.

In closing, people who travel here for the first time most likely come from areas that aren’t familiar with parking problems and / or over flowing trash.

With the tourism numbers rising every year, I think you can afford to address some of these issues.

Respectfully,

A Greek fan for life ❤️🇬🇷