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Τετάρτη 23 Μαΐου 2012

Greece’s euro crisis hits tourism


Europeans are avoiding vacations to Greece this summer fearing instability sparked by the debt crisis.
"From the aftermath of the elections on May 6, we have experienced a 50 percent drop in bookings," said George Drakopoulos, director general of the association of Greek tourism enterprises (SETE).
Though tourism from Germany this year is back on the rise, overall booking numbers are still plummeting ahead of the busy summer season, Drakopoulos said. "Hotels make appealing offers, but that is not the issue here. For many of the tourists visiting Greece, it is a matter of security on top of value for money." This comes after a particularly profitable 2011 season, where Greece benefited from the unrest in the northern Africa.
According to SETE, tourism represents 15.7 percent of Greece's output and employs 768,000 people, either directly and indirectly.
"Athens is the city that has suffered the greatest damage. Fewer tourists visit Athens and this takes its toll on other cities," said Panagiotis Moriatis, president of the association of hotel owners of Nafplion.
"Last year we had a 10 percent rise in German tourists. This year we have a 25 to 30-percent drop. German tourists are afraid that they are in danger if they visit Greece," said SETE's Drakopoulos.
But Sybille Zeuch of the German Travel Association (DRV) said that, despite a lukewarm start in early 2012, bookings are on the rise over the past few weeks.
For TUI's German travelers, Greece is the third most popular holiday destination, after Spain and Turkey.
On the other hand, industry experts do not expect a drop in Italian and Spanish markets. Roberto Corbella, head of the association of Italian tour operators (ASTOI) said that Italians are not afraid to visit Greece, as problems are centered in Athens and the majority of Italian tourists travel directly to Greek islands with charter flights. John Kester, an industry trend observer of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Greece has its "loyal followers, people who know the country first-hand, and that audience stays loyal" and is not influenced by media coverage.
But the French are reticent to vacation in Greece, experts said.
"We are facing a 30 percent drop in summer bookings compared to last year. There is a psychological impact ... that is certain," said Rene-Marc Chikli, head of the association of French tour operators (CETO).
Source: AFP