Tourists are returning to Greece, where the political situation is
calmer; the currency is more stable; and hotels are offering big
discounts.
The sun was blazing above the Acropolis, draping the ivory
pillars of the Parthenon in a golden sheen. The red-tiled roof of the
ancient Agora museum glimmered in the heat, and a breeze ruffled the
boughs of olive trees. On the rough cobbles of Plaka, a cafe-lined
tourist area, crowds of camera-toting visitors paused to soak it all in.
Kostas, a waiter at the Diodos taverna, which offers a splendid view
of the scene, smiled. A year ago, amid a political and economic crisis
that fueled protests in central Athens, Greece, and pushed Greece toward
the brink of exiting the eurozone, the surrounding streets were
hauntingly empty. But on a recent Saturday afternoon, Kostas, who only
gave his first name, was scrambling to find an empty outdoor table to
accommodate patrons.
“Greece is back!” he exclaimed.
If last summer was a dark spot for tourism in this crisis-hit
country, travelers are returning in greater numbers this year, lured by
discounts of up to 20 percent on hotels in major cities and on Greece’s
stunning islands, as well as assurances — at least for now — that Greece
won’t be ditching the euro and returning to the drachma after all.
“The Greek government is stable, and we are no longer under
speculation that Greece will leave the euro,” said Xenophon Petropoulos,
a spokesman for the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises.
With reports of anti-austerity protests last year and early this year
fresh in people’s minds, however, the first question being asked by
travelers is whether it is safe to visit Greece. The short answer is
yes.
“You may have activity in Syntagma Square,” Petropoulos said. “But 500 meters away, people are drinking beer in Plaka.”
Indeed, the number of demonstrations has dropped and, as Petropoulos
noted, they are largely confined to Syntagma Square. Recently, some
Americans asked this reporter about the far-right Golden Dawn group,
which has used violence against ethnic immigrants. But locals are
pushing back with protests and occasionally direct confrontation,
resulting in a mild decrease in the group’s vigilantism. There have been
no reports of violence toward tourists.
These days, the main nuisance for travelers is likely to be
transportation strikes to protest austerity measures. They have sharply
diminished but still pop up sporadically on the Athens metro, among air
traffic controllers and on ferry boats to the islands.
Visitors are advised to check the Living in Greece website,
livingingreece.gr/strikes,
for updates and to consult the websites of their national Athens-based
embassies for strike, safety and other information before traveling.
(The U.S. Embassy website is
athens.usembassy.gov)
Greece sorely needs the business that tourists bring. The economy has
shrunk by more than 20 percent in the last five years, and unemployment
recently topped 27 percent.
The government is still laboring to repay international loans, and
many average Greeks continue to feel the effects of an austerity program
that has cut incomes and fanned social hardship.
Hotels drop prices
Despite the travails, Greeks remain welcoming. The country hopes to
draw in more than 17 million tourists this year, after international
visits slumped by 5.5 percent last year to 15.5 million, Alexandros
Vassilikos, the head of the Athens-Attica Hotels Association, said.
Hotel prices in Athens and its suburbs have dropped an average of 45
percent in the last three years, as have room rates on numerous islands,
he added. Hotels near classical sites just a few hours’ drive from
Athens have also cut their prices, including Delphi and the
well-preserved ancient theater at Epidavros, where some of the first
Greek tragedies were performed.
Already, reservations for hotels and cruises through July are up
about 20 percent over last year. Tourism from the United States is also
rebounding. Through the first few months of 2013, flights originating in
the U.S. were up double digits from a year ago, aided by a drop in
ticket prices and a strengthening dollar, Jeremy Boore, an analyst at
Expedia.com, said.
On a recent weekday, tourists jammed onto a Blue Star Ferries boat,
which left from the Port of Piraeus outside Athens and wound its way
toward Santorini. The boat was filled to capacity to accommodate
travelers who had been stranded in Athens the day before because of a
ferry strike.
Although it is famed for its high lava cliffs and whitewashed houses,
even Santorini is working to burnish its image and recapture visitors.
The island’s tourism board has proclaimed this year the Year of
Gastronomy dedicated to “the fruits of the dry volcanic land.” Food
festivals will be held throughout the summer, linking tavernas and
high-end restaurants with wineries and romantic hotels.
At the Angel Cave Houses, one of the many lodgings overlooking
Santorini’s caldera, rooms were almost completely booked from May to
July, said Athanasia Chalari, a manager. She was offering up to 20
percent discounts for nonrefundable bookings, after offering 50 percent
discounts last year.
“Little by little things are coming back,” she said.
