By Hannah Ahmed
A group of tourists ‘singing loudly’ in Greece have sparked controversy over anti-tourism after a video was posted to Reddit. In the clip, the pack can be seen belting out ‘Mamma Mia’ in the middle of a quiet street, reported to be in Greece, with many locals and other travellers hitting out at the youngsters’ behaviour. The video was posted to the “I am the main character group,” and was captioned with: “Group of tourists sing loudly on the streets during quiet hours. The video has caused a debate in Greece about growing anti-tourist sentiment.” Another user commented on the display stating: “Didn’t even have to unmute the video to know that they would be singing Mamma Mia… no wonder the locals are tired of tourists.” Others condemned the behaviour of the group, with one outlining how they believed it was disrespectful: “It’s called common sense. You are in a completely different country, wandering the streets at night and shouting the Mamma Mia song. “Girl, you are not in a Meryl Streep movie-have some f****** respect. People try to sleep at night or at least get some rest.” Greece is a fan-favourite holiday destination for many holidaymakers, and Brits in specific, with 4.5 million UK residents visiting the country last year, according to Statistica. Although in recent years, it has been reported that the huge number of visitors has caused tensions between economic benefit and quality of life for its residents, the Express said. Frustrations over growing anti-social behaviour, which often follows when there is an influx in tourists, have been voiced by residents in popular holiday hotspots in Greece. Some looked to defend the behaviour of the young people, explaining they did not believe it was just tourists that carried out behaviour like this. A local said: “Living in the city centre, this happens by locals here too, it’s not just tourists. It’s alcohol.” However, the general sentiment under the post was not positive, with one experienced traveller stating: “As a person who loves to travel, tourists like this are the worst part of it because I do not want to have any kind of connection with them that is even remotely possible.” Another added: “Living in a city with a bunch of bars, I’ve gotten used to rowdy nights, but tourists think they’re above local noise rules ? ‘Mama Mia’ sing-alongs at 3 AM are a dead giveaway they’re not respecting the locals.”