ATHENS, July 11 — Greece’s culture ministry yesterday said it would boost shade and hand out free water at the Acropolis as the country’s weather service issued the year’s first heatwave warning.

The national weather service EMY yesterday said a six-day heatwave would grip Greece from Wednesday, with temperatures hitting highs of 43 degrees Celsius towards the end of the week.

The culture ministry in a statement said some outdoor archaeological sites may close during the warmest hours, depending on local conditions.

At the Acropolis, Greece’s most-visited site, the ministry said shading canopies would be set up to shield the monument’s thousands of visitors, while Red Cross staff will hand out free water at peak temperature hours.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni last week said the ministry was seeking ways to address massive queues at the 2,500-year-old monument, noting that visitor numbers have jumped by 80 per cent compared to 2019.

Much of the problem is caused by cruise ships disembarking hundreds of passengers simultaneously early in the morning, operators say.

She told Skai radio that a time slot system to reduce bottlenecks by spreading out visits throughout the day is ready to be implemented.

"The project is ready... it could be implemented in July,” she said.

According to the Greek state statistics agency Elstat, over three million people visited the Acropolis last year, up from 1.2 million in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Greece is counting on tourism to boost its economy after its near-decade debt crisis. Officials hope to exceed the 31.3 million arrivals recorded in 2019, a record year for the country.

Tourist numbers visiting Greece are ticking up to levels rivalling pre-pandemic times as the world witnesses a resurgence in demand for leisure travel. — AFP