Is Greece Encouraging Tourism?

Hello again.

Have you seen the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V & A recently? I haven’t, but I did go along to a talk by her friend and biographer Donald Spoto. He gave a fascinating insight into the real person behind the iconic image – it was so interesting. There’s always something to do in London isn’t there?

Thinking about my blog for this week, I popped on to Internet, just in case there was something I thought we all really should know about in Greece. There I was struck by the absurdity of it all. In bold headlines, on a news-driven site was the following:
“A new advertising campaign supporting Greek tourism has been created…The three different spots of the campaign first appeared on television on July 20th. There are lyrics about Greece from famous poets such as Odysseus Elytis, Yannis Ritsos and Lorentzos Mavilis. The campaign was presented in a press conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on July 26th.”

So they are trying to encourage tourism. And right next to that, in smaller print, was: “Queues at petrol stations”; this as consumers feared petrol shortages as a result of truck owners’ strikes. Then there was “Delays and cancellations of flights”; all about domestic and international flights in and out of Greece facing serious delays because of an air traffic controllers’ 24 hour strike – this despite it being declared illegal by the courts. Those involved said that they are seeking higher wages and the recruitment of more staff and that they will continue with their strike actions. Then there was mention of the dockside workers strikes too…

Now, I am by no means an expert on these matters, but here’s a rather naive question. If people stop visiting Greece altogether, after being endlessly irritated and inconvenienced by disrupted itineraries while on holiday in Greece, will these workers have jobs AT ALL? I mean, the Acropolis was closed recently because the ticket office was on strike…go figure. The Greek Association of Tourism and Travel Agents (HATTA) warned that continuing strikes “would be the nail in the coffin of what is left of the Greek tourism sector this year.” I hope someone is listening out there and that some consideration is given to that money generator, the tourist – i.e. you and me!

I hastily point out that I am talking about a country I really love, one that I would adore to live in and, in fact, have made it my job to encourage people both to work and to buy property in. But…get real. Times are hard, and we all need to get our heads down and work hard to get out of this recession. Is this the right way to go about it? Personally, I think not.

However, I have to say that I am thinking of going over to Greece soon. I will go with a flexible attitude and I will definitely get rebated hotel/B & B prices. I believe Athens is not nearly as crowded as usual and that tours to places on the mainland like Delphi and Sunion are not nearly as fully booked as they usually are this time of the year so that at least is a plus.

Also, if you are planning to view properties I would suggest things have played right into your hands. At this time of the year it is often impossible to get an appointment with an estate agent – I suggest that you may just get lucky this summer! Also it will give you a good idea of accessibility during the hard times – always a good idea. You can suss out how your area has been affected by the recent strikes and upheavals – something that it may be wise to bear in mind for the future.

Do let me know if you plan to go - and if so where. Or if you have been already, how did you find things?

All for this week – talk soon!!

Carol.