Travel

Greece: tourism breaks

The constant influx of migrants and the blocking of the Macedonian border in Greece in distress. More than 25 000 refugees to wander through the country. More and more holidaymakers to cancel their trips.

Because of the refugee crisis, the Greek tourism industry recorded a sharp decline in bookings and an increase in cancellations of booked trips. According to a report by the Athens newspaper “Kathimerini” are affected, especially the Islands in the Eastern Aegean sea, to translate the refugees from Turkey.

The Postings on Lesbos are collapsed in comparison to the previous year by 90 percent; on Samos, the decline amounted to 40 percent. Airlines would have cancelled also, the first air links and cruise ships changed their routes.

Tourism in Greece, about 25 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP). His fall would weaken the already financially beleaguered country. Add to that the cost of the refugee crisis. The expenditure for the construction of camps and registration centres (Hotspots) and the supply of the people would alone estimated for the year 2015, half a billion euros, according to the Greek financial magazine “Capital”.

The Greek government had agreed in 2015, after a tough battle with its lenders on additional financial assistance, subject to strict savings requirements. A loosening of austerity requirements because of the burdens the refugee crisis, the International monetary Fund rejected in the past. The impact of the refugee crisis on the tourism sector could exacerbate the economic Situation of the country dramatically.

at / is (dpa)