Blazing sunlight. Azure waters. Whitewashed buildings. Santorini is so photogenic The Economist called it the world’s most ‘Instagrammable’ destination. And with 5,366,121 Instagram posts to its name, #Santorini is at the forefront of pretty well everyone’s ‘Euro 2019’ plans.

With views like this:

 

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A post shared by Unlimited Santorini (@unlimitedsantorini) on Jul 7, 2019 at 4:02pm PDT

And food like this:

 

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A post shared by TRAVEL~LIFESTYLE Blogger (@serenastravel) on Jul 7, 2019 at 12:18am PDT

It’s not hard to see why…

However, as a recent (and admittedly, kind of awesome) photo from Type 7 attests, ‘Insta Tourism’ is changing how people experience European hotspots. And while haters will say it’s fake — the veracity of the photo is irrelevant.

What’s important is the concept the picture represents — over the top luxury being placed on top of history, architecture and understated class.

Now, instead of soaking up the beauty with your eyeballs — it’s all about juicing the location of all the prestige you can.

 

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A post shared by type7 (@type7) on Jul 5, 2019 at 3:19am PDT

Just as ‘foodies’ take the first bite of their meal with their iPhone, ‘Insta-travellers’ take the first sip of Santorini’s views with their DSLR.

“Santorini has very unique geography that people want to photograph immediately,” Santorini’s deputy mayor, Loukas Bellonias, told The Economist’s 1843 Magazine, “Social media has turned [it] from just another travel destination into one of the most popular in the world.”

The consequences? Over the past five years, the number of overnight stays in Santorini has risen by 66%. So as most of Greece suffers a decade-long financial crisis hangover, Santorini is enjoying economic growth.

If mismanaged this popularity could put the island’s future at risk. And — like anywhere — locals will eventually tire of their streets being used as a photo studio. But there’s no-where else in the world like Santorini.

Or is there?

As we wrote about last year — there are numerous alternatives to this island paradise, which could net you a far more unique Santorini-esque experience.

With Euro-July just around the corner, now’s the time to check them out.

Read Next

• The Most Overrated European Destinations & The Smart Traveller’s Alternatives
• The Luxury Travel Destination That Is Destroying Travel Influencers’ Credibility 

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