Property, Labor and Household Economy: The Transition to Tourism in Mykonos, Greece

Property, Labor and Household Economy: The Transition to Tourism in Mykonos, Greece* Margaret A. Stott In recent decades there have been numerous studies concerned with the impact of tourism on the quality of life in host communities. The development of a tourism industry often speeds modernization, and may lead to conspicuous competitive consumption (Greenwood, "Tourism" 80-91). Traditions may be abandoned, or may assume new meaning in the community, as they become "commodities" which appeal to tourists (Greenwood, "Culture" 129-138). Extensive contact with foreign tourists can lead to international stereotyping (Pi-Sunyer 149-155). Unequal distribution of the returns from tourism may accentuate socio-economic class distinctions (Geshekter 57-88; Lee 19-36; Rosenberg, Reiter and Reiter 21-38). All of these social changes can be viewed as potentially disruptive to the host community. Social scientists have been particularly concerned with the impact of tourism on local and national economies. Often tourism is seasonal, which creates special problems and imbalances in annual employment and income. The industry is particularly vulnerable to natural or political crises. National and regional economic dependency , reinforced in an economy based on tourism, is seen to be particularly detrimental (Schneider, Schneider and Hansen 340). In the past few decades the community of Mykonos, Greece, has grown to be heavily dependent on tourism. This Cycladic island, located in the Aegean Sea about ninety miles southeast of Athens, is small, mountainous and barren. According to the 1981 census, the permanent population was 4569. *This paper is based on information obtained during fieldwork supported by the National Center of Social Research, Athens, Greece (1972) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (1977-1978). I am grateful to Dr. Michael Ames, Dr. K. O. L. Burridge, Dr. Helga Jacobsen and Dr. Martin Meissner for their critical comments on earlier versions of this paper. 187 188 Margaret E. Stott Some isolated residences are dispersed throughout the island , but the majority of Mykoniates live in a sea-port with the same name as the island, Mykonos. A much smaller number of islanders live in proximity to the interior commune of Ano Mera (formed in 1914). In this paper the term Mykonos refers to the entire island population. The socio-cultural effects of tourism in Mykonos have been complex. In some respects they have not been as negative as in some other Mediterranean communities (Stott 70-90). In many cases tourism has had positive impact on the lives of Mykoniati community members, mainly through providing new economic opportunities , increasing incomes and improving standards of living. This is not intended to discount concerns about the long term viability of a local economy dependent on tourism. The island economy is extremely vulnerable and dependent. Tourism in Mykonos is seasonal, and has resulted in a much expanded service sector. Household economies have changed accordingly. But the short-term positive effects have been dramatic. Household economies exhibit new flexibility and adaptability to opportunities, many associated with tourism. These changes are important to recognize, as they would no doubt remain, even in the face of a decline in the tourism industry. THE PRE-TOURISM ECONOMY OF MYKONOS During fieldwork conducted in 1977-78 informants contributed to the attempt to reconstruct the pre-tourism economy. In addition, a handwritten household census from 1861, located in the Mykonos Municipal Library, was a key to the understanding of the economy of the last century. The single bound volume, entitled Dimotológiou Ιοϕ Plithismoú toú DÃ-mou Mikónou toú 1861 étous, numbered households sequentially, grouped by neighborhoods. Each census entry included the following information about individual households, entered in columns ranging across each double page: Location (in the town, or in a rural locale); names of occupants; marital status; ages; places of birth; occupations. The purpose of the census is unknown. It is difficult, with such documents, to be assured of their completeness and accuracy. In this case, however, comparison with a similar document for the year 1852, written in a different hand, revealed no major inconsistencies. There are undoubtedly some errors, of the sort which tend to occur with any census (some of them resulting from the reluctance of citizens to cooperate, for a variety of reasons...