"Athens will not become a victim of its own success": The city has rebelled against tourists, seeking to ban the construction of new hotels in the center.

In other times, officials would have welcomed such scenes with enthusiasm. But for Haris Doukas, the socialist mayor determined to reclaim the overcrowded city center for its residents, the start of the tourist season means that much of the historic core is at risk of over-saturation.

"Athens cannot function as if it were one big hotel. Restrictions and rules are needed. Cities must have a say in how they develop," he believes.

Last year, Athens was visited by more than eight million people, a record for a metropolis that not long ago was considered merely a stopover on the way to the Greek islands.

At the neoclassical city hall, officials say time is of the essence if Athens is not to become a victim of its own success. Warning signs are everywhere: from the sharp rise in property prices pushing out locals to overloaded infrastructure buckling under pressure, reports The Guardian.

The mayor has found himself in direct conflict with what he sees as the drivers of uncontrolled development, focusing his attention on construction companies wanting to build high-rises at the foot of the fifth-century BC Acropolis, as well as property investors and entrepreneurs. He also opposes the proliferation of often unlicensed rooftop bars and hospitality venues.

The conflict escalated further this week when Doukas told The Guardian he would use the tourism land-use law, currently under discussion, to seek a complete ban on new business activities in the historic city center.

Investors, he said, should go to other, less congested parts of the city.

The mayor also floated the idea of freezing the issuance of building permits for new hotels. This would follow a similar ban imposed by the center-right government restricting short-term rentals in neighborhoods overlooking the Acropolis.

To his surprise, he received support from an unexpected quarter this week. At an event dedicated to promoting the capital on Tuesday, the head of the powerful hotel association, Evgenios Vassilikos, also mentioned the possibility of restricting hotel construction, citing the example of Barcelona, which has not issued new hotel permits since 2017.

"We don't need to reinvent the wheel," the hotelier said, adding that the time had come for the capital's tourism sector to seriously consider where it wants to be in 10 or 15 years.

Doukas says Athens cannot become another Barcelona.