In a post on her social media account, the president of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, Despoina Koutsouba, reports that, by decision of the Minister of Culture, Ms. Mendoni, a 50-euro admission fee has been set for a 35-minute dive at the ancient shipwreck of Peristera, a move he describes as “unheard of.” The mayor of Alonnisos described the decision as, at best, unacceptable, Petros Vafinis, in a statement he made to ERT Volos.
In her post, Ms. Koutsouba states: “Setting a 50-euro admission fee for visits to any archaeological site is an outrageous decision and a dangerous precedent for the Ministry of Culture as a whole.”. Access to cultural heritage, both on land and at sea, is a right of citizens, and the Ministry of Culture and Sports must ensure this right through its pricing policy as well.
€50 admission fee for the Peristera shipwreck – Reactions from the president of the archaeologists’ association and the island’s mayor https://t.co/eooInUDYSv through @ertnews.gr
— Despoina Koutsouba (@dkutsumba) November 3, 2021
As a diver myself, and having firsthand knowledge of the scientific debate surrounding international diving destinations, I can assure you that The decision to set the ticket price at 50 euros is not based on any international practice and was certainly not made on the basis of any scientific data. As part of the BLUEMED project, as well as the project for the Visitable Underwater Archaeological Sites of Alonnisos, to the planning of which I personally contributed until May 2021, at which point I was removed from the project by an unjustified decision of the Minister, Lina Mendoni, the prospect of such a steep increase in admission fees was never discussed, especially since the standard practice at diving destinations abroad is for admission fees to range from 5 to 10 euros. Our goal has always been to make our underwater cultural heritage accessible to divers and to attract diving tourism from Greece and abroad. With the a ticket for 50 euros, this prospect is completely undermined, not only for the Alonissos, but for the entire country. There can’t be monuments “just for the rich”!
Statement by Mayor Petros Vafinis
«This decision is, to put it mildly, unacceptable. The project has not yet been completed and concerns not only the Peristera shipwreck but also work to be carried out on land. I believe that any decision on admission fees is far too premature. Even more so than in the case of the Acropolis: In this project, there is an agreement between the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Authority, and the Municipality of Alonnisos, with each party playing its own role. It would be wise to take the views of local communities into account when making such decisions!»
