How To Make Mykonos Simple Again?

 

Jeff––Saturday

 

Some claim that tourism-focused magazines exist only to glorify their subject locales and please their advertisers. To their critics it’s all ultra-high-quality photography, glitzy design, and little else.  To those I say this: read Mykonos Confidential magazine—available both in print and on-line.

 

Yes, it bills itself as “MYKONOS CONFIDENTIAL Luxury Magazine,” and most certainly aims for its summertime annual magazine to catch the eyes and imaginations of tourists who either are mega-rich or would like to experience the vibe of hanging out in their playground.

 

That said, I’m well into my third decade of being asked to write an essay for MC telling it like it is—or at least as I see it—and never have I had a word changed or position challenged.  Nor am I alone in that experience. Many others have shared the same editorial freedom and encouragement to say what they believe is right for the island.   

 

Here’s my essay in the just published 2024 edition of MC. It’s titled, “A Not So Simple Answer” in response to a question MC sees as haunting modern Mykonos.  

 

Mykonos Confidential never fails to amaze me at how its editorial finger rests firmly on the pulse of Mykonos’ greatest challenges. I’m into my third decade of being honored by MC for my opinion on top-of-mind subjects dear to all who care for our island. This year’s topic is no different, for it seeks an answer to this straightforward question:

 

“How to make Mykonos simple again?”

 

“Simple” is a word fraught with implications.  If it means returning to past days when everything was cheap, and Mykonians were among the poorest folk in Greece, fuhgeddaboudit. 

 

So, what can be done in answer to MC’s question?

 

Plenty, if you’re willing to jump into the fray. To start, allow me to introduce non-Harry Potter fans to mandragora (aka mandrake) a Mediterranean hallucinogenic plant known for its roots’ uncanny resemblance to a complete human being.

 

I’m not suggesting those wishing for old Mykonos need turn to drugs; only that there are consequences to such a granted wish.

  

This exchange between Hogwarths Professor Pomona Sprout and the precocious Hermione Granger demonstrates my point:

 

 

Pomona Sprout: "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

 

Hermione Granger: "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

 

Pomona Sprout: "Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

 

Hermione Granger: "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it."

 

For those seeing Mykonos in need of “a powerful restorative,” beware of the fatal cry it may unleash.

 

To be clear, Mykonos remains a magical place. First time visitors are enthralled by its beauty. Not so much by its prices, but certainly by its action. Yes, prices are through the roof virtually everywhere for everything.  But if folks keep paying those prices, that will not change. What incentive is there for a proprietor to do otherwise? Thinking differently is akin to tilting at windmills…when they’re not surrounded by tourists.

 

Frankly, I doubt new visitors are looking for simple as much as for excitement and an experience far different from any they can find at home.  The irony undoubtedly is, weren’t we looking for the same when we discovered Mykonos? And if today’s newcomers return, they’ll likely remember today’s visit as their simpler times on Mykonos.

 

That’s not to say change isn’t in order. For example, I took a late afternoon drive to a highly popular beach I’d not visited since before Covid days.  That trip brought home that the caïque has been irreversibly replaced by the concrete mixer as a symbol of Mykonos.

 

And then there are the crowds. It’s claimed that on any given tourist season day at least 100,000 tourists are on Mykonos. That’s an interesting number because since hotel rooms are reported to number 20,000, where do the remaining 80,000 visitors stay each night? No doubt somewhere taxing the island’s already strained water, sewage, garbage, police, and housing needs. Though some may sleep on boats, the likely answer is B&B and villa rentals; in the process contributing 15,000 vehicles (including black vans) to already congested roads. For those who instead choose to walk along the island’s roads and highways, I hold them in my prayers.

 

Let’s start from this undeniable proposition: Tourism is Mykonos’ life’s blood.  Its harbor and international airport are major transportation links to the northern Cyclades and beyond.  Despite how many complain about the number of cruise ships and flights, those who depend upon volume for their livelihood will battle to protect their interests, offering in testament to their faith in numbers, the ever-increasing presence of international brand name shops along Χώρα main streets.  

 

Irreversible change is here. We must learn to live with it while vigorously preserving what remains of a treasured past. What that requires is simple: Strong Government Management.

 

Management that will fairly tax all who profit from the island’s growth and magical draw, be they tourist or service provider, and apply those sums to rethink, rebuild, and expand the island’s infrastructure in a manner showing reverence for Mykonos’ storied past.  Not repudiation.

 

That’s my simple answer.  For a more nuanced one, ask Mandrake.

 

 

––Jeff

 

Jeff’s Event Schedule

 

Bouchercon 2024, Nashville TN

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

 

Thursday, August 29, 2024 @ 9:30-10:20 AM

Room: Canal E

Solving Crimes in Foreign Settings

 

Jeffrey Siger

Mary Monnin             

Smita Harish Jain       

Ragnar Jonasson         

Pip Drysdale

Mark Coggins - moderator       

 

Friday, August 30, 2024 @ 8:00-8:30 AM

Room: Canal CD

Megan Abbott

Lisa Black

Julie Carrick Dalton

Michael Bennett

Jeffrey Siger

Stanley Trollip - moderator