By all accounts, 2025 will be another banner year for Greece’s all-important tourism and holiday industry, a sector that attracts tens of millions of people from around the world every year and annually pumps more than 20 billion euros into the local economy.

The substantial economic benefits that tourism generates for Greece is a result of the east Mediterranean nation’s surging global popularity as a destination that combines the traditional “sea-and-sun” recipe with ample doses of culture, cuisine and “living” history - and more recently, “city breaks” in urban areas – especially in the historic Athens center.

Yet the boon in the tourism and travel-related sector has not come without some side effects - marginal many would say when looking at the plentiful “bottom line”; “concerning and requiring action”, according to others, traditionalists, local residents and certain political quarters of the “anti-capitalist” persuasion. “Overtourism” is a leitmotif “making the rounds” of news sites over the recent period, with a handful of European sites (Barcelona, Venice, Santorini etc.) mostly in the spotlight. Additionally, the explosive expansion of short-term rentals (STRs) and leasing, the “Airbnb effect”, has also generated “blowback”, with the invective usually conjuring up perceived or real gentrification, hordes of trolley-totting tourists and locals priced out of rental residences and other amenities.  

In the latest episode of “Explaining Greece”, we speak with Ioannis Pappas, an engineer by training with a doctorate in applied mechanics, whose has been professionally involved in the sector for more than a decade with a focus on tourism sustainability, which he details.

Also on our latest podcast is Eftichea Koumartzaki, a UK and Greece-based tourism professional who manages short-term rental properties in the greater Athens area, the Peloponnese and two of Greece’s most popular isles.

Koumartzaki is also a member of the local chapter of STAMA, the Short-Term Accommodation Managers Association of Greece.

In the latest episode of “Explaining Greece”, we speak with Effie Foka, a senior fellow at the Athens-based Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), as well as a research associate for the London School of Economics – Hellenic Observatory. Prof. Fokas also teaches politics at the American College of Greece – Deree.

On the occasion of a major Aug. 15 religious holiday in Greece, which commemorates the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on the Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical calendar, Prof. Fokas delves into the relationship between the Orthodox Church, the modern Greek state and the Greek Orthodox faithful.

Fokas notes that the major August religious holiday is not the only one in Greece intertwined with a national dimension, with the most notable example being March 25, which is annually celebrated as the commencement of the Greek War of Independence in 1821 and coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation.

“The secular and the religious overlap,” is one of her statements.

Fokas also touches on the issue of religious education in Greek public schools and the Church’s standing vis-à-vis the state and its institutions, as well as its position in the country’s national identity.

She also touches on how prevalent the concept of being “vicariously religious” is in Greek society, and debates about Church-state relations.

In this week’s episode of “Explaining Greece”, we speak with Maria Gavouneli, a professor of International Law at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the director general of the Athens-based Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), regarding an issue that since 2019 has soured relations between Greece and the fractured and still unstable North African country of Libya.

The issue is none other than a controversial Turkey-Libya maritime MoU signed by Ankara and the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli, an accord subsequently used to delimitate exclusive economic zones (EEZs) between two countries that do not directly face each other across any body of water. The latter was essentially accomplished by “erasing” all Greek island territory between them – something that contravenes international law.

The issue may appear as “obscure”, compared with the outright warfare and multiple conflicts affecting the wider region, especially in the Middle East, yet it has added another element of antagonism between Greece and Turkey over their conflicting claims and interpretation of international maritime law in both the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece considers the accord as illegal and baseless, a view now officially shared by the European Union, as well as Egypt, which is affected by the agreement.

On her part, Prof. Gavouneli explains the intricacies of maritime case law and the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as the legal and geographic terms widely used but often poorly understood, and how they apply to this case. She also covers Athens’ standing positions on delimitating continental shelfs and the now more expansive concept of Exclusive Economic Zones.

The issue resurfaced on the Greek government’s “radar” and made media headlines this summer with reports that the rival Government of National Stability and its affiliated Tobruk-based House of Representatives, which controls east Libya and much of the central part of the massive country, is now reconsidering its earlier opposition to the Tripoli-based government’s deal with Turkey.

This episode of Explaining Greece takes listeners on a journey from high-stakes international climate negotiations to the everyday forces driving up electricity prices in Greece—offering a comprehensive look at global climate diplomacy, emissions trends, and the real-life impacts of the climate crisis, from heatwaves and floods to rising energy bills.

In conversation with Dimitris Tsekeris, Senior Climate Policy Analyst at Climate Analytics in Berlin, we unpack what happened behind closed doors at this year’s Bonn Climate Conference, where global emissions targets stand ahead of COP30, and how geopolitical tensions are shaping climate ambition across Europe and beyond.

We then turn to Greece’s own energy transition for a clear-eyed state of play, examining how much power is now generated from renewables, how fossil fuel dependence continues to drive up electricity costs in Greece, and what structural reforms are needed to decarbonize effectively without leaving consumers behind. Most importantly, we explore the solutions and pathways that could move Greece toward a more resilient and affordable energy future.

In this episode, we speak with Archimandrite Fr. Porphyrios Frangakis, the venerable Sinai Monastery’s spokesman in Greece, as well as Dr. Ronald Meinardus, a journalist, political analyst and commentator with extensive experience in both Egypt and Greece, where he’s lived and worked for many years. 

The abrupt emergence of an existential threat to the continued existence of the St. Catherine Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, as it is officially known, in the form of an Egyptian appeals court ruling in late May, appeared as a “thunderbolt in a clear sky” of otherwise very warm and even strategic relations between Athens and Cairo.

As Meinardus wrote after the initial “shock” of the judicial verdict: “…for the Greek public and the Greek government, which sees itself as a guardian of global Orthodoxy”, the issue is particularly sensitive. A previous agreement ironed-out between the Greek government, which essentially represented the monastery and its dependencies, and the Egyptian side was never finalized, with the blame – according to Athens – lying with the latter. 

For the Brotherhood of 1,500-year St. Catherine Monastery the court ruling, as detailed by Fr. Porphyrios, has many elements of unfairness, can serves as a legal means for the Egyptian state to acquire the monastery’s properties, lands and dependencies, especially the main compound. 

Meinardus explains the intricacies of the issue, and possible effects on Greek-Egyptian relations.

In this episode, we speak with Prof. Spyros Blavoukos, a professor of international and European economic studies at the Athens University of Economics and Business. Prof. Blavoukos is also a senior research fellow at the Athens-based Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

One focus of the podcast is the recently adopted, by the EU Council, 150-billion-euro financial instrument known as the Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, which aims to facilitate joint procurements of weapons systems and materiel in order to boost European security and defense. The threat in this case, as he says, is evidently Russia.

The regulation is part of the overall ReArm Europe initiative enacted to mobilize more than 800 billion euros in defense spending through various means, including fiscal flexibility - as 650 billion euros of the figure will emanate from national coffers, along with a possible redirection of Cohesion funds.

Blavoukos breaks down what the ReArm initiative means and how it came about, as well as Athens’ concerns over the participation of neighboring Turkey (Turkiye), a perennial EU candidate-state and third country in this case, in the joint EU defense scheme and the continent’s overall defense architecture.

The Greek side has, among others, pointed out that Turkey cannot maintain a “casus belli” (cause of war) against its neighbor, a fellow NATO member-state in case, if the latter exercises its international right to extend territorial waters from the current six nautical miles, and at the same time benefit from the EU’s spending spree on defense.

The prospect of whether the unanimity will be required in future decision-making vis-à-vis third countries is discussed, along with the initial US reaction to increased defense spending by the Europeans – which Washington has long demanded - but with exclusionary clauses for American contractors and manufacturers.

On display at the Benaki Museum until May 25, Africa Amongst Us is a multi-medium exhibition showcasing archival objects from Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya, alongside stories, artifacts, and art from the African diaspora in Greece. The exhibition illuminates the histories of the diaspora, presenting a timeline that braids together traditional and everyday items to highlight how African communities have grown, flourished, and shaped Greek society.

The exhibition and its accompanying series of guided tours, discussions, and performances have been co-organized and co-curated with ANASA Cultural Center for African Art and Cultures. ANASA has long worked to promote African culture in Greece, using its programming to open space for conversations often missing from mainstream cultural discourse—questioning the stereotypes around Greekness, Blackness, racism, and discrimination in contemporary Greek life.

In this episode, we speak with Béatrice Koumnta, an organizer with ANASA about the Africa Amongst Us exhibition and how the group uses cultural connection both a bridge and a challenge to entrenched stereotypes.

Whatever you are shopping for, you can likely find it at Eleonas Flea Market-- bed frames, motorcycle parts, hiking boots, silver earrings, canned fish, posters from the 2004 Olympics, icons of Saint George, magazines from former Yugoslavia, film for polaroid cameras, or hand-carved backgammon sets. This flea market, hosted every weekend, offers a bewildering plethora of options, a collection every object that has ever passed through Athens. 

On this episode we spoke with photographer Antonis Theodoridis about his new publication "Lost Things Found," a collection of photos of Eleonas market. His photos are charming, overwhelming, often absurd amalgamations of the detritus of a city, all on sale. We spoke to him about Eleonas, what it reveals about Athens, and how he went about photographing this unique corner of the city. 

Surrogacy has been legal in Greece for two decades. But surrogate pregnancies, the protections for surrogates, and the access to surrogacy have been all over Greek headlines as of late. Specifically, in April, a legal provision underlined again that gay couples and single men cannot access surrogate reproduction techniques.  

To understand why, we spoke with Marianna Vassiliou, a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Greece, who specializes in assisted reproduction law. Vassiliou outlines the history of surrogacy and assisted reproduction law in Greece, the prohibitions for same-sex couples, and the country's market for international surrogacy tourism. 

Will the U.S. tariffs impact the Greek olive oil business? Will market volatility drag Greece toward more financial instability?

In the first 100 days of his presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened, implemented, and then paused sweeping tariffs on imports into the United States. Greece was subject to the tariffs levied against the European Union. Exporters worried about the olives, feta cheese, and wine that are sold to U.S. supermarkets. But Greece was perhaps more concerned about the upset in global trade, as a country so involved in global shipping and as an economy so heavily dependent on international tourism.

We spoke to Petros Konstantinidis, financial reporter at the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, to try to pull apart exactly how these tariffs—and the global market uncertainty—will impact the Greek economy.