Tear gas, riot police, the prospect of a summer of strikes, empty shops and a series of power cuts have combined to cause a collapse in Greek holiday bookings only three weeks before the traditional high-season rush. The Co-operative Travel says bookings have gone down by 15% in the past week; Sunvil reports a 20% drop; Skyscanner says flight searches for Greece and its islands have gone down by 27%; and Holiday Autos says car-hire bookings have plummeted by 60%.
Nick Geronomis, who runs a hostel and sports bar in Athens, says he should be turning people away at this time of year, but understands why tourists aren’t coming. “When you see what happens on the news, even though it’s contained in one block, people ask, ‘Why am I going into a war zone for a holiday?’ ”
Tourism accounts for one in five jobs in Greece, and nearly 18% of GDP, so special dispensations have been granted to the industry in the hope of effecting a recovery. Landing and takeoff fees have been waived at airports, which means air fares are lower; Vat in the tourism industry has been cut from 11% to 6.5%; steps have been taken to lower inter-island ferry fares; and hotel rates have fallen, with high-season deals in two-star hotels starting at just £16pp a night, B&B. Until last week, everything seemed to be going to plan. Oracles were predicting that tourists who might have gone on holiday in North Africa would come to Greece instead. Tourism executives were forecasting a 10% rise in arrivals — then the latest round of riots started.
Some tour operators say tourists will be unaffected by the trouble. “The increase in public demonstrations and strikes is on a similar level to last year, when none of our clients was affected,” said Noel Josephides, of Sunvil. “These political demonstrations take place in the centre of large cities such as Athens or Thessaloniki — they will not affect the islands or seaside resorts. Greece is very much open for business.”
Others aren’t so sure. “The bulk of the really cheap holiday deals are going to be in Greece this summer,” said Bob Atkinson, of Travelsupermarket.com. “There’s a lot of spare capacity on the islands, so if you want a bargain, that’s where you’ll find it. Bear in mind, though, that there’s a good chance of disruption by air-traffic controllers and ferry companies — and if you’re self-catering, supply-chain issues could make it hard to buy food. It may be wiser to avoid Greece altogether this summer.”