Santorini’s challenges with seasonal overcrowding resonate with India’s own issues in popular tourist hubs such as Himachal Pradesh or Goa during peak travel seasons. Lessons from this article underline two actionable insights: promoting sustainable tourism practices to balance visitor experiences without diminishing local culture and infrastructure resilience is key. Redirecting tourists to lesser-trafficked destinations fosters equitable economic distribution while alleviating bottlenecks at iconic spots-strategies already explored in India’s regional tourism plans but needing widespread consistency.Further development of niche experiences (e.g., India’s cultural heritage stays akin to Santorini’s wine tours) could elevate high-value tourism over sheer volume-a growing necessity as urban centers also grapple with hosting overspills of domestic travelers looking for meaningful escapes.